Dopamine transporter in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder normalizes after cessation of methylphenidate

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder of childhood, which is frequently treated with methylphenidate. The short-term response to treatment with methylphenidate is a substantial decrease in dopamine transporter density, with improvement in neuropsychological tests. In this study, single-photon emission computed tomography was used to investigate possible long-term alterations in the cerebral dopamine system after cessation of treatment with methylphenidate in five children with ADHD. Three months after initiation of treatment with methylphenidate, a reduction of the dopamine transporter in the striatal system was observed. Methylphenidate was administered for a period of 9 to 20 months. Follow-up with single-photon emission computed tomography after withdrawal of methylphenidate medication disclosed an increase of dopamine transporter activity comparable with pretreatment values. The observed upregulation of dopamine transporter activity might support the assumption that methylphenidate does not lead to permanent damage of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathways

Morphology and magnetism of multifunctional nanostructured γ\gamma-Fe2_2O3_3 films: Simulation and experiments

This paper introduces a new approach for simulating magnetic properties of nanocomposites comprising magnetic particles embedded in a non-magnetic matrix, taking into account the 3D structure of the system in which particles' positions correctly mimic real samples. The proposed approach develops a multistage simulation procedure in which the size and distribution of particles within the hosting matrix is firstly attained by means of the Cell Dynamic System (CDS) model. The 3D structure provided by the CDS step is further employed in a Monte Carlo (MC) simulation of zero-field-cooled/field-cooled (ZFC/FC) and magnetic hysteresis loops ($M \times H$ curves) for the system. Simulations are aimed to draw a realistic picture of the as-produced ultra-thin films comprising maghemite nanoparticles dispersed in polyaniline. Comparison (ZFC/FC and $M \times H$ curves) between experiments and simulations regarding the maximum of the ZFC curve ($T_{\scriptsize MAX}$), remanence ($M_R/M_s$) and coercivity ($H_C$) revealed the great accuracy of the multistage approach proposed here while providing information about the system's morphology and magnetic properties. For a typical sample the value we found experimentally for $T_{\scriptsize MAX}$ (54 K) was very close to the value provided by the simulation (53 K). For the parameters depending on the nanoparticle clustering the experimental values were consistently lower ($M_R/M_s$ = 0.32 and $H_C$ = 210 Oe) than the values we found in the simulation ($M_R/M_s$ = 0.53 and $H_C$ = 274 Oe). Indeed, the approach introduced here is very promising for the design of real magnetic nanocomposite samples with optimized features.Comment: 19 pages (one column), 5 figure

Temporal biomarker profiles and their association with ICU acquired delirium: a cohort study

Contains fulltext : 191949.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

OMAKOTITALON KUNTOARVIO JA KORJAUSSUUNNITELMA

Opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli suorittaa kuntoarvio ja laatia sen pohjalta korjaussuunnitelma Rovaniemen Saarenkylässä sijaitsevaan omakotitaloon. Talo on rakennettu vuonna 1966. Kuntoarvioinnin tavoitteena oli selvittää koko raken-nuksen rakenteiden kunto ja suurimmat korjaustarpeet. Kuntoarvion suorittaminen edellytti perehtymistä Korjaus RYL- ja Asuinrakennuksen kuntotarkastusopaskirjoihin, joita soveltaen kuntoarvio saatiin suoritettua. Kohdekiinteistöstä tarkastettiin rakenteet, asuintilat ja talotekniikka. Kunto-arviossa käytettiin apuvälineenä Vaisalan pinta- ja ilmankosteusmittaria. Kunto-arvio tehtiin laitteista huolimatta pääasiassa aistienvaraisesti. Kuntoarvion tuloksena havaittiin rakennuksen olevan huonossa kunnossa sekä sisältävän useita riskirakenteita. Riskirakenteita lukuun ottamatta korjaustarpeet ovat pintapuolisia ja pelkästään ulkonäköön vaikuttavia tekijöitä. Korjaussuunnitelmassa on esitetty korjausehdotukset kaikille kunnostusta vaativille kohteille

Neurocognitive performance of 5-and 6-year-old children who met criteria for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder at 18 months followup: results from a prospective population study.

The aim of this prospective study was to examine whether neurocognitive performance of children aged 5-6 years distinguished children who were later diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or "borderline ADHD" from children without ADHD after adjustment for behavioral measures and to examine the influence of comorbid psychopathology. Out of a general population of 1,317 children, 366 children were selected on the basis of their scores on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Eighteen months later, the parents were interviewed using a standardized child psychiatric interview: 33 children were classified as ADHD and 75 children as borderline ADHD, and there were 258 children without ADHD. Children with rated ADHD were significantly impaired on measures of visuomotor ability and working memory compared to children without ADHD after adjustment for CBCL results. The performance of borderline ADHD children was in between that of children with and without ADHD. In addition, 4 groups of children were analyzed: 9 ADHD, 24 ADHD with comorbid oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder (ODD/CD), 59 ODD/CD, and 274 controls. Children with rated comorbid ADHD and ODD/CD performed significantly worse on these tasks compared to children with rated ODD/CD and control children while they did not differ from ADHD children. Our results imply that neurocognitive measures can contribute to the early identification of ADHD with and without comorbid ODD/CD

Factors affecting the relation between parental education as well as occupation and problem behaviour in Dutch 5-tot 6-year-old children.

Background: This study investigated whether problem behaviour in 5- to 6-year-old children is related to parental education and occupation. It also analysed the contribution of correlating factors to explain this association. Method: The Child Behaviour Checklist was administered to a large community sample of 1317 children who were in the 1st year of normal primary school in the Netherlands. Outcome measures were total problem score, and externalising and internalising scale scores. Results: Results of the logistic regression analyses indicated that higher rates of reported behaviour problems were significantly associated with low parental education and occupation. These associations were mediated by low maternal age at delivery and single-parent families. The number of children in a family and physical illness of the parents did not contribute to these associations. Conclusions: Parental education and occupation have a large impact on the mental health of young children. Psychosocial and biological factors are possible explanations for this phenomenon