FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS FOR OPTIMIZING ANTENNA FOR MICROWAVE COAGULATION THERAPY

Microwave coagulation therapy (MCT) is emerging as an attractive modality for thermal therapy of soft tissues targeted in short periods of time, making it particularly suitable for ablation of hepatic and other tumors. In this field of microwave coagulation therapy, the use of minimally invasive antenna is recognized as a very promising technique for the treatment of small tumors because a very thin antenna can be easily inserted inside the body and precisely localized using the advanced 3D imaging techniques and surgical robots. The authors investigated the microwave coaxial antenna operating at 2.45 GHz by varying the slots size for the removal of liver tumor. The analysis was done using 2D finite element modeling. By several optimization steps the antenna is simulated and optimized by comparing the values of specific absorption rate (SAR), mesh statistics and temperature distributions in tissue generated by the antenna with the variations of dimensions of slot from 1 mm to 1.7 mm

Bipolar disorder: Prevalence, help-seeking and use of mental health care in England. Findings from the 2014 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey

Background: To date, the lifetime prevalence of Bipolar Disorder (BD) and BD patients’ access to mental health care in England has not been systematically studied. / Methods: We used data from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014 (N = 7546). The Mood Disorders Questionnaire (MDQ) was used to screen for BD. Associations between sociodemographic and clinical variables and use of mental health services were investigated. Weighted regression modelling established factors associated with being in receipt of care for mental health problems over the last year. / Results: The lifetime prevalence of BD in the community in England was 1.7%. Approximately 40% had not received mental health care in the last year, and only 16.9% had received BD specific treatment. 14.6% had asked for a specific form of help but not received it. Psychopathology differed between individuals who successfully sought care and those who didn't. Obtaining care was independently associated with female sex (p<0.0001, odds ratio(OR):4.65 (Confidence Interval (CI):2.18–10.30), unemployment (p = 0.02, OR: 2.65 (C.I: 1.23–5.88) and suicidal ideation (p = 0.04, OR: 3.36, (C.I: 1.04–10.89). / Limitations: The MDQ is less sensitive than some of the longer measures, especially in the general population. Some between-group comparisons may have suffered from limited power. / Conclusions: The lifetime prevalence of BD in England was similar to rates worldwide. Most people with BD had not received any specific treatment for the condition in the last year, while 1 in 7 had requested specific help but did not receive it. Secondary mental health services in England for BD appear suboptimal

Explaining the rates and correlates of employment in people with schizophrenia.

Background: Access to employment is poor for many people with schizophrenia despite their wish to work and we are only beginning to understand why.;Aims: 1. To evaluate the current literature on the rates and correlates of employment in people with schizophrenia and the barriers to working. 2. To explore the extent to which people with schizophrenia living in the U.K., France and Germany work. 3. To explore the associations of having a job, getting a job and losing a job in people with schizophrenia living in the U.K. France and Germany. 4. To investigate whether employment status influences non-vocational outcomes. 5. To explore the views about working amongst people with severe mental illness. 6. To examine staff attitudes to people with psychosis working.;Methods: For aim 1, a literature review was completed using the PsychINFO, Embase, Medline and Web of Science Databases. Aims 2-6 were addressed using a variety of study designs. These were: quantitative analysis of data from the EuroSC study, a 2 year prospective naturalistic study of people with schizophrenia (N=1208) living in the U.K, France and Germany a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with people with SMI a survey of clinicians working in CMHTs.;Results: Aim 1 Rates of employment amongst people with schizophrenia are low. A number of socio-demographic and clinical correlates of employment and barriers to working are described. Aim 2, 3 and 4 People with schizophrenia are able to work in all sections of the job market. Clinical, social and area-level factors have an influence on work status. Employment status may have an affect on other outcomes. Aim 5 Participants identified advantages to working but also expressed substantial doubts. Aim 6 Clinicians suggested that many more people with psychosis were capable of working than were actually doing so.;Conclusions: Unemployment appears to be the consequence of an interplay between the biological and social situations of service users and societal factors that affect their choices and efforts. Promisingly this also means that there are multiple points at which interventions might be effective in helping people to work

Mood as a mediator of the link between child sexual abuse and psychosis

The significance of affective changes in psychosis is increasingly acknowledged, as is the role of early traumatic events. In a previous paper, using data from the English Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007 (APMS2007), strong associations between child sexual abuse (CSA) and psychosis were demonstrated, with some evidence of mediation by affect. In the current paper, we subjected the same dataset to formal tests of mediation. For CSA involving sexual intercourse, 38.5 % of the link was mediated, 30.0 % by depression and 8.5 % by anxiety. For all forms of contact abuse, 38.2 % was mediated, 29.1 % by depression and 9.1 % by anxiety

Affective Instability, Childhood Trauma and Major Affective Disorders

BACKGROUND: Affective instability (AI), childhood trauma, and mental illness are linked, but evidence in affective disorders is limited, despite both AI and childhood trauma being associated with poorer outcomes. Aims were to compare AI levels in bipolar disorder I (BPI) and II (BPII), and major depressive disorder recurrent (MDDR), and to examine the association of AI and childhood trauma within each diagnostic group. METHODS: AI, measured using the Affective Lability Scale (ALS), was compared between people with DSM-IV BPI (n=923), BPII (n=363) and MDDR (n=207) accounting for confounders and current mood. Regression modelling was used to examine the association between AI and childhood traumas in each diagnostic group. RESULTS: ALS scores in descending order were BPII, BPI, MDDR, and differences between groups were significant (p<0.05). Within the BPI group any childhood abuse (p=0.021), childhood physical abuse (p=0.003) and the death of a close friend in childhood (p=0.002) were significantly associated with higher ALS score but no association was found between childhood trauma and AI in BPII and MDDR. LIMITATIONS: The ALS is a self-report scale and is subject to retrospective recall bias. CONCLUSIONS: AI is an important dimension in bipolar disorder independent of current mood state. There is a strong link between childhood traumatic events and AI levels in BPI and this may be one way in which exposure and disorder are linked. Clinical interventions targeting AI in people who have suffered significant childhood trauma could potentially change the clinical course of bipolar disorder

Bone mineral parameters in healthy young Indian adults with optimal vitamin D availability

Background: Several recent studies indicate a marked prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in asymptomatic, apparently healthy urban subjects from different socioeconomic groups in north India. Methods: To further examine this trend, we studied 40 men and 50 women, 20–30 years of age, from the Indian paramilitary forces. These individuals consume a nutritious, high-protein diet, have optimal exposure to sunlight and undertake strenuous outdoor physical exercise. Results: The mean serum calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase levels were normal in both men and women. The mean (SD) serum intact parathyroid hormone and 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3 levels were 19.3 (8.2) pg/ml and 18.4 (5.3) ng/ml in men, and 11.9 (6.6) pg/ml and 25.3 (7.4) ng/ml in women. Bone mineral density estimated in 20 men and 22 women revealed that in comparison with white Caucasians, 35%–50% of men and 14%–32% of women were osteopenic at different sites, while an additional 10% of men had osteoporosis of the lumbar spine. Conclusion: We found that with optimal nutrition, good sunlight exposure and regular physical exercise, healthy young individuals have normal bone and mineral biochemical values. The reasons for the abnormalities detected in bone mineral density in them needs further study. The impact of childhood nutrition on accumulation of peak bone mass may contribute to our findings. There is a need for establishing normative bone mineral density data for Indians