Results of a survey among opioid addiction treatment providers on the importance of physical exercise

Background: Physical exercise has significant benefits for mental and physical health. The Federal Office of Public Health in Switzerland defined exercise as a medium-term treatment goal in the manual of heroin-assisted treatment. Methods: Sixty-four opioid agonist treatment providers and specialized psychosocial treatment centers across the German-speaking part of Switzerland were asked to fill in a brief, self-developed questionnaire to find out whether exercise programs are offered and what they consist of. The questionnaire additionally addressed the caregivers’ assessment of their respec- tive treatment facilities importance to their patients, their attitude towards exercising programs, and the frequency of mentioning exercise in patient encounters. In addition, we asked what kind of sports programs caregivers would like to see introduced in their treatment services. Results: Fifty-one questionnaires were returned. According to the caregivers, 76% of patients considered their treatment facility to be the first point of contact in case of an emergency. Caregivers who deemed the provision of exercise programs more important also mentioned exercise more often in their patient encounters and motivated patients more often. While the importance of exercise programs was rated high by 45% of caregivers, only seven respondents reported that regular exercise has been implemented as part of their treatment services. The most com- mon suggestion of a sports program was (Nordic) walking, followed by yoga and endurance sports. Conclusions: There is a mismatch between what is recommended and known regarding cost effectiveness of physical exercise in general, any form of walking in opioid addiction treatment, and what is actually offered and put into practice. Since this intervention allows the inclusion of most patients regardless of their fitness level or health condition, the reasons for this mismatch remain elusive and should be further explored

Eleven strategies for making reproducible research and open science training the norm at research institutions

Across disciplines, researchers increasingly recognize that open science and reproducible research practices may accelerate scientific progress by allowing others to reuse research outputs and by promoting rigorous research that is more likely to yield trustworthy results. While initiatives, training programs, and funder policies encourage researchers to adopt reproducible research and open science practices, these practices are uncommon inmanyfields. Researchers need training to integrate these practicesinto their daily work. We organized a virtual brainstorming event, in collaboration with the German Reproducibility Network, to discuss strategies for making reproducible research and open science training the norm at research institutions. Here, weoutline eleven strategies, concentrated in three areas:(1)offering training, (2)adapting research assessment criteria and program requirements, and (3) building communities. We provide a brief overview of each strategy, offer tips for implementation,and provide links to resources. Our goal is toencourage members of the research community to think creatively about the many ways they can contribute and collaborate to build communities,and make reproducible research and open sciencetraining the norm. Researchers may act in their roles as scientists, supervisors, mentors, instructors, and members of curriculum, hiring or evaluation committees. Institutionalleadership and research administration andsupport staff can accelerate progress by implementing change across their institution

Eleven strategies for making reproducible research and open science training the norm at research institutions

Across disciplines, researchers increasingly recognize that open science and reproducible research practices may accelerate scientific progress by allowing others to reuse research outputs and by promoting rigorous research that is more likely to yield trustworthy results. While initiatives, training programs, and funder policies encourage researchers to adopt reproducible research and open science practices, these practices are uncommon inmanyfields. Researchers need training to integrate these practicesinto their daily work. We organized a virtual brainstorming event, in collaboration with the German Reproducibility Network, to discuss strategies for making reproducible research and open science training the norm at research institutions. Here, weoutline eleven strategies, concentrated in three areas:(1)offering training, (2)adapting research assessment criteria and program requirements, and (3) building communities. We provide a brief overview of each strategy, offer tips for implementation,and provide links to resources. Our goal is toencourage members of the research community to think creatively about the many ways they can contribute and collaborate to build communities,and make reproducible research and open sciencetraining the norm. Researchers may act in their roles as scientists, supervisors, mentors, instructors, and members of curriculum, hiring or evaluation committees. Institutionalleadership and research administration andsupport staff can accelerate progress by implementing change across their institution

Über Nutzen und Machbarkeit von Bewegungsinterventionsstudien bei Patienten, die an einer Opioidabhängigkeit oder einer Abhängigkeit von illegalen Substanzen leiden

Einleitung: Patienten mit einer Opioidabhängigkeit oder mit einer Abhängigkeit von illegalen Substanzen leiden häufig auch an weiteren psychischen und somatischen Erkrankungen. Für viele Erkrankungen wurde bereits gezeigt, dass sich Bewegungsinterventionen positiv auf Krankheitssymptome auswirken. Inwiefern gezeigt wurde, ob Patienten mit einer Opioidabhängigkeit oder mit einer Abhängigkeit von illegalen Substanzen von Bewegung profitieren und falls ja, inwiefern Behandlungsempfehlungen hiervon abgeleitet werden können, ist Gegenstand dieses Reviews. Methoden: Es erfolgte eine systematische Literaturrecherche mit der Suchmaschine pubmed. Die folgenden Suchbegriffe wurden verwendet: (Illicit drug*) AND (addiction OR SUD OR drug dependence OR drug abuse OR substance use disorder) AND (exercise OR physical activity) AND (treatment OR therapy). Berücksichtigt wurden randomisierte, kontrollierte Studien. Die Suche ergab 106 Artikel, wovon zwei Artikel schlussendlich berücksichtigt wurden – zusammen mit zwei weiteren, durch eine unsystematische Suche gefundene Artikel. Ergebnisse: Die erste Studie zeigte, dass eine Bewegungsintervention mit Patienten, die an einer Opioidabhängigkeit leiden, machbar ist; insgesamt gab es wenige Patienten, die als compliant eingestuft wurden. Die zweite Studie zeigte, dass Patienten mit einer Abhängigkeit von Methamphetamin von einer angeleiteten Bewegungsgruppe profitieren, da hierunter Ausdauer und Muskelkraft signifikant zunahmen. Die dritte Studie zeigte, dass sich bei Patienten mit einer Methamphetaminabhängigkeit während einer achtwöchigen Abstinenzphase, in welcher ein Bewegungsprogramm angeboten wird, die Bindungsaffinität von D2/D3-Rezeptoren signifikant verbessert. In der vierten Studie zeigte sich, dass sich der Schlaf bei Patientinnen mit einer Abhängigkeit von Amphetaminen durch Tai Chi verbessern kann. Schlussfolgerung: Die Literaturrecherche zeigt, dass es nur eine geringe Anzahl Studien gibt, die Bewegungsinterventionen bei dieser Patientenklientel untersuchen, solche Studien jedoch machbar sind und die Auswirkungen auf den Körper und die Psyche positiv ausfallen können. English Version: Introduction: Patients with a dependency of opioids or illicit drugs often suffer from other psychiatric or somatic illnesses. It has been shown that exercise can have positive effects on many diseases. Whether patients with a dependency of opioids or illicit drugs profit from exercise and whether recommendations can be derived is in the focus of this literature review. Methods: A systematic literature research was conducted with the search machine pubmed. The following search terms were used: (Illicit drug*) AND (addiction OR SUD OR drug dependence OR drug abuse OR substance use disorder) AND (exercise OR physical activity) AND (treatment OR therapy). Randomized, controlled trials were considered. Overall 106 articles were found, from which 2 articles matched the inclusion-criteria. Two more articles were found via an unsystematic search. Results: The first study demonstrated that an exercise intervention with patients suffering from an opioid dependency is feasible;the overall number of patients who were considered as compliant with the study protocol was small. The second study demonstrated that patients with a dependency of methamphetamines profit from a supervised exercise intervention: in their study, endurance and muscular strength increased significantly. In the third study patients with a dependency of methamphetamines expressed a higher D2/D3-receptor availability after having participated in an eight weeks exercise regime. The fourth study demonstrated that sleep can be enhanced by Tai Chi in patients suffering from a dependency of amphetamines. Conclusion: This literature search demonstrates that the amount of studies focusing on exercise interventions in patients suffering from opioid or illicit drug dependence is scarce; however, exercise interventions with this clientele are feasible and the impact on mental and physical well-being can be positive

Machine Learning-Empowered FTIR Spectroscopy Serum Analysis Stratifies Healthy, Allergic, and SIT-Treated Mice and Humans

The unabated global increase of allergic patients leads to an unmet need for rapid and inexpensive tools for the diagnosis of allergies and for monitoring the outcome of allergen-specific immunotherapy (SIT). In this proof-of-concept study, we investigated the potential of Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, a high-resolution and cost-efficient biophotonic method with high throughput capacities, to detect characteristic alterations in serum samples of healthy, allergic, and SIT-treated mice and humans. To this end, we used experimental models of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic airway inflammation and allergen-specific tolerance induction in BALB/c mice. Serum collected before and at the end of the experiment was subjected to FTIR spectroscopy. As shown by our study, FTIR spectroscopy, combined with deep learning, can discriminate serum from healthy, allergic, and tolerized mice, which correlated with immunological data. Furthermore, to test the suitability of this biophotonic method for clinical diagnostics, serum samples from human patients were analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy. In line with the results from the mouse models, machine learning-assisted FTIR spectroscopy allowed to discriminate sera obtained from healthy, allergic, and SIT-treated humans, thereby demonstrating its potential for rapid diagnosis of allergy and clinical therapeutic monitoring of allergic patients

Scientific Reports / Age-related differences in humoral and cellular immune responses after primary immunisation : indications for stratified vaccination schedules

Immunosenescence is characterised by reduced B and T cell responses. Evidence shows that booster vaccinations are less effective in elderly people, but data on the efficacy of primary immunisation are sparse. We conducted a monocentric, open label, phase IV trial to compare immune responses to primary vaccinations using the inactivated, adjuvanted Japanese Encephalitis vaccine by 30 elderly people (mean 69, range 6178years) and 30 younger people (mean 24, range 1830years). Humoral and cellular immune responses were analysed in relation to age and cytomegalovirus (CMV) seropositivity. Vaccine-specific antibody titres were significantly lower in elderly participants and 47% of them were non- or low responders after the two doses of the vaccine neo-antigen. The reduced humoral immune responses in elderly people correlated with reduced cytokine production, such as interferon gamma (IFN-) in vitro, as well as higher frequencies of late-differentiated effector and effector memory T cells and T regulatory cells. These cellular changes and lower antibody titres were particularly prominent in CMV-seropositive elderly participants. If primary vaccination before the age of 60 is not possible, elderly patients may require different vaccination strategies to ensure sufficient long-lasting immunity, such as adapted or accelerated schedules and the use of different adjuvants.(VLID)464405

Medical exemplary function with respect to physical activity for patients with mental disorders - Recommendation behavior and self-concordance of psychiatrists and medical psychotherapists

Hintergrund: Körperliche Aktivität spielt eine bedeutende Rolle bei der Behandlung psychischer Störungen. Psychiatern/ärztlichen Psychotherapeuten kommt eine Schlüsselrolle dabei zu, ihren Patienten körperliche Aktivität zu empfehlen. Zum Empfehlungsverhalten dieses Kollektivs liegen bisher keine Untersuchungen vor. Ziele der Arbeit: Das Empfehlungsverhalten in Bezug auf körperliche Aktivität sowie verhaltensbezogene und motivationale Korrelate, die das Empfehlungsverhalten potenziell beeinflussen, bei deutschen Psychiatern/ärztlichen Psychotherapeuten sollte untersucht werden. Material und Methoden: Insgesamt beantworteten 151 deutsche Psychiater/ärztliche Psychotherapeuten (Alter: M = 32,5 Jahre; Geschlecht: 47,0 % weiblich) einen Onlinefragebogen bezüglich körperlicher Aktivität. Dabei wurden das Empfehlungsverhalten körperlicher Aktivität, die Einstellung, das eigene Aktivitätsverhalten und die Selbstkonkordanz eigener Motivation, körperlich aktiv zu sein, erfasst. Ergebnisse: Die meisten Psychiater/ärztliche Psychotherapeuten gaben an, körperliche Aktivität einigen (54,5 %, n = 82) oder all ihren Patienten zu empfehlen (33,8 %, n = 51). Das Empfehlungsverhalten korrelierte signifikant positiv mit der Selbstkonkordanz der Motivation (r = 0,19) sowie mit der Einstellung zur Bedeutsamkeit körperlicher Aktivität (r = 0,16). Hingegen bestand keine signifikante Korrelation zwischen dem eignen Aktivitätsniveau und dem Empfehlungsverhalten der Psychiater/ärztlichen Psychotherapeuten (r = 0,04). Schlussfolgerung: Ein Großteil der Psychiater/ärztlichen Psychotherapeuten empfiehlt körperliche Aktivität. Positiv auf das Empfehlungsverhalten wirkten sich insbesondere die Einschätzung der körperlichen Aktivität als bedeutsam sowie eine hohe Selbstkonkordanz der eigenen Motivation, körperlich aktiv zu sein, aus. Interventionsprogramme, die das Empfehlungsverhalten von Psychiatern/ärztlichen Psychotherapeuten steigern wollen, sollten auf die Selbstkonkordanz der Motivation der Psychiater/ärztlichen Psychotherapeuten, körperlich aktiv zu sein, fokussieren und sich nicht nur auf die Bedeutsamkeit körperlicher Aktivität konzentrieren.Background: Physical activity (PA) plays an important role in the treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists and medical psychotherapists play a key role in this context by recommending PA to their patients. There are no previous studies on the recommendation behavior of psychiatrists for PA. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the PA recommendation behavior as well as behavioral and motivational correlates that potentially influence the recommendation behavior of psychiatrists and medical psychotherapists in Germany. Material and methods: A total of 151 German psychiatrists and medical psychotherapists (age: mean = 32.5 years; sex: 47.0% female) answered an online questionnaire on PA assessing recommendation behavior, attitudes, own PA behavior and self-concordance of the motivation to be physically active. Results: Most psychiatrists and medical psychotherapists recommend PA to some (54.5%, n = 82) or all of their patients (33.8%, n = 51). Recommendation behavior was significantly positively correlated with self-concordance of the motivation to perform PA (r = 0.19) as well as the attitude with respect to the personal importance of PA (r = 0.16). In contrast, there was no significant correlation between the personal activity level and the recommendation behavior of the psychiatrists and medical psychotherapists (r = 0.04). Conclusion: The results show that a large proportion of psychiatrists and medical psychotherapists recommend PA. Attitudes on the importance of PA as well as self-concordance of the motivation to perform PA showed positive correlations with the recommendation behavior. Intervention programs that aim to improve the recommendation behavior of psychiatrists and medical psychotherapists should focus on the self-concordance of the psychiatrists and not only on the importance of PA

Die deutsche Version des Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ): Erste Befunde zu den psychometrischen Kennwerten. Erratum

Wingenfeld K, Spitzer C, Mensebach C, et al. Die deutsche Version des Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ): Erste Befunde zu den psychometrischen Kennwerten. Erratum. PPmP - Psychotherapie · Psychosomatik · Medizinische Psychologie. 2010;60(8):e13-e13

Die deutsche Version des Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ): Erste Befunde zu den psychometrischen Kennwerten

Wingenfeld K, Spitzer C, Mensebach C, et al. Die deutsche Version des Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ): Erste Befunde zu den psychometrischen Kennwerten. PPmP - Psychotherapie · Psychosomatik · Medizinische Psychologie. 2010;60(11):442-450