Validity of Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Korean Revised Version for Screening Alcohol Use Disorder according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition Criteria.

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Chang, Jung Wei; Kim, Jong Sung; Jung, Jin Gyu; Kim, Sung Soo; Yoon, Seok Joon; Jang, Hak Sun

2016-11-01

The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) has been widely used to identify alcohol use disorder (AUD). This study evaluated the validity of the AUDIT-Korean revised version (AUDIT-KR) for screening AUD according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5) criteria. This research was conducted with 443 subjects who visited the Chungnam National University Hospital for a comprehensive medical examination. All subjects completed the demographic questionnaire and AUDIT-KR without assistance. Subjects were divided into two groups according to DSM-5 criteria: an AUD group, which included patients that fit the criteria for AUD (120 males and 21 females), and a non-AUD group, which included 146 males and 156 females that did not meet AUD criteria. The appropriate cut-off values, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the AUDIT-KR were evaluated. The mean±standard deviation AUDIT-KR scores were 10.32±7.48 points in males and 3.23±4.42 points in females. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (95% confidence interval, CI) of the AUDIT-KR for identifying AUD was 0.884 (0.840-0.920) in males and 0.962 (0.923-0.985) in females. The optimal cut-off value of the AUDIT-KR was 10 points for males (sensitivity, 81.90%; specificity, 81.33%; positive predictive value, 77.2%; negative predictive value, 85.3%) and 5 points for females (sensitivity, 100.00%; specificity, 88.54%; positive predictive value, 52.6%; negative predictive value, 100.0%). The AUDIT-KR has high reliability and validity for identifying AUD according to DSM-5 criteria.

Validation of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test in university students: AUDIT and AUDIT-C.

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García Carretero, Miguel Ángel; Novalbos Ruiz, José Pedro; Martínez Delgado, José Manuel; O'Ferrall González, Cristina

2016-03-02

The aim of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT and AUDIT-C) in order to detect problems related to the consumption of alcohol in the university population. The sample consisted of 1309 students.A Weekly Alcohol Consumption Diary was used as a gold standard; Cronbach's Alpha, the Kappa index, Spearman's correlation coefficient and exploratory factor analysis were applied for diagnostic reliability and validity, with ROC curves used to establish the different cut-off points. Binge Drinking (BD) episodes were found in 3.9% of men and 4.0% of women with otherwise low-risk drinking patterns. AUDIT identified 20.1% as high-risk drinkers and 6.4% as drinkers with physical-psychological problems and probable alcohol dependence.Cronbach's alpha of 0.75 demonstrates good internal consistency. The best cut-off points for high-risk drinking students were 8 for males and 6 for females. As for problem drinkers and probable ADS, 13 was the best cut-off point for both sexes. In relation to AUDIT-C, 5 and 4 were the best cut-off points for males and females with high-risk patterns, respectively. The criterion validity of AUDIT and AUDIT-C to detect binge drinking episodes was found to have a moderate K value. The results obtained show that AUDIT has good psychometric properties to detect early alcohol abuse disorders in university students; however, it is recommended that the cut-off point be reduced to 8 in men. AUDIT-C improves its predictive value by raising the cut-off point by one unit. Items 2 and 3 should be reviewed to increase its predictive value for BD.

The alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT: validation of a Nepali version for the detection of alcohol use disorders and hazardous drinking in medical settings

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Pradhan Bickram

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Alcohol problems are a major health issue in Nepal and remain under diagnosed. Increase in consumption are due to many factors, including advertising, pricing and availability, but accurate information is lacking on the prevalence of current alcohol use disorders. The AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test questionnaire developed by WHO identifies individuals along the full spectrum of alcohol misuse and hence provides an opportunity for early intervention in non-specialty settings. This study aims to validate a Nepali version of AUDIT among patients attending a university hospital and assess the prevalence of alcohol use disorders along the full spectrum of alcohol misuse. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in patients attending the medicine out-patient department of a university hospital. DSM-IV diagnostic categories (alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence were used as the gold standard to calculate the diagnostic parameters of the AUDIT. Hazardous drinking was defined as self reported consumption of ≥21 standard drink units per week for males and ≥14 standard drink units per week for females. Results A total of 1068 individuals successfully completed the study. According to DSM-IV, drinkers were classified as follows: No alcohol problem (n=562; 59.5%, alcohol abusers (n= 78; 8.3% and alcohol dependent (n=304; 32.2%. The prevalence of hazardous drinker was 67.1%. The Nepali version of AUDIT is a reliable and valid screening tool to identify individuals with alcohol use disorders in the Nepalese population. AUDIT showed a good capacity to discriminate dependent patients (with AUDIT ≥11 for both the gender and hazardous drinkers (with AUDIT ≥5 for males and ≥4 for females. For alcohol dependence/abuse the cut off values was ≥9 for both males and females. Conclusion The AUDIT questionnaire is a good screening instrument for detecting alcohol use disorders in patients attending a university

Dysregulation in level of goal and action identification across psychological disorders

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Watkins, Edward

2011-01-01

Goals, events, and actions can be mentally represented within a hierarchical framework that ranges from more abstract to more concrete levels of identification. A more abstract level of identification involves general, superordinate, and decontextualized mental representations that convey the meaning of goals, events, and actions, “why” an action is performed, and its purpose, ends, and consequences. A more concrete level of identification involves specific and subordinate mental representations that include contextual details of goals, events, and actions, and the specific “how” details of an action. This review considers three lines of evidence for considering that dysregulation of level of goal/action identification may be a transdiagnostic process. First, there is evidence that different levels of identification have distinct functional consequences and that in non-clinical samples level of goal/action identification appears to be regulated in a flexible and adaptive way to match the level of goal/action identification to circumstances. Second, there is evidence that level of goal/action identification causally influences symptoms and processes involved in psychological disorders, including emotional response, repetitive thought, impulsivity, problem solving and procrastination. Third, there is evidence that the level of goal/action identification is biased and/or dysregulated in certain psychological disorders, with a bias towards more abstract identification for negative events in depression, GAD, PTSD, and social anxiety. PMID:20579789

Olfactory identification deficits and associated response inhibition in obsessive-compulsive disorder: on the scent of the orbitofronto-striatal model.

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Bersani, Giuseppe; Quartini, Adele; Ratti, Flavia; Pagliuca, Giulio; Gallo, Andrea

2013-11-30

Olfactory identification ability implicates the integrity of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). The fronto-striatal circuits including the OFC have been involved in the neuropathology of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). However, only a few studies have examined olfactory function in patients with OCD. The Brief Smell Identification Test (B-SIT) and tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Automated Battery (CANTAB) were administered to 25 patients with OCD and to 21 healthy matched controls. OCD patients showed a significant impairment in olfactory identification ability as well as widely distributed cognitive deficits in visual memory, executive functions, attention, and response inhibition. The degree of behavioural impairment on motor impulsivity (prolonged response inhibition Stop-Signal Reaction Time) strongly correlated with the B-SIT score. Our study is the first to indicate a shared OFC pathological neural substrate underlying olfactory identification impairment, impulsivity, and OCD. Deficits in visual memory, executive functions and attention further indicate that regions outside of the orbitofronto-striatal loop may be involved in this disorder. Such results may help delineate the clinical complexity of OCD and support more targeted investigations and interventions. In this regard, research on the potential diagnostic utility of olfactory identification deficits in the assessment of OCD would certainly be useful. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Autism Spectrum Disorders in Africa : Current Challenges in Identification, Assessment, and Treatment

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Ruparelia, Kavita; Abubakar, Amina; Badoe, Eben; Bakare, Muideen; Visser, Karren; Chugani, Diane C.; Chugani, Harry T.; Donald, Kirsten A.; Wilmshurst, Jo M.; Shih, Andy; Skuse, David; Newton, Charles R.

2016-01-01

Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders has increased over recent years, however, little is known about the identification and management of autism spectrum disorder in Africa. This report summarizes a workshop on autism spectrum disorder in Africa under the auspices of the International Child

Identification of protein sub-networks implicated in Autism Spectrum Disorders

OpenAIRE

Correia, C.; Diekmann, Y.; Pereira-Leal, J.B.; Vicente, A.M.; Autism Genome Project Consortium

2011-01-01

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) represent a group of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by three primary areas of impairment: social interaction, communication, and restricted and repetitive patterns of interest or behavior. Although autism is one of the most heritable neuropsychiatric disorders, most of the known genetic risk has been traced to rare variants. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have thus far met limited success in the identification of common risk varia...

Adaptação e validação do Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT para população ribeirinha do interior da Amazônia, Brasil Adaptation and validation of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT for a river population in the Brazilian Amazon

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Rodrigo Otávio Moretti-Pires

2011-03-01

Full Text Available O objetivo deste artigo foi validar o Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT para a população do interior do Amazonas, Brasil. A versão original em Inglês foi traduzida para o Português, usando-se o procedimento recomendado pela Organização Mundial da Saúde. O texto foi, então, retraduzido e enviado para um tradutor inglês nativo, que aprovou a tradução. O AUDIT foi administrado a 361 habitantes, três vezes, em um período de duas semanas (teste e reteste. Os dados foram analisados para a confiabilidade e consistência interna. O alfa de Cronbach foi de 0,87 na primeira aplicação, 0,87 na segunda e 0,86 na terceira. A confiabilidade Teste/Reteste foi avaliada usando-se o coeficiente de correlação intraclasse, que para a pontuação total do AUDIT foi de 0,93. A área sob a curva ROC foi de 0,805 no ponto de corte sete (sensibilidade de 76,4% e especificidade 75%. Conclusões: a versão do AUDIT validada mostra-se internamente consistente e estável no contexto investigado, destacando-se a necessidade de avaliação de outras propriedades psicométricas.The objective of this study was to validate the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT for a river population in the Brazilian Amazon. The original English version of AUDIT was translated into Portuguese, using the procedure recommended by the World Health Organization. The text was then back-translated and submitted to a native English translator, who approved the translation. AUDIT was administered to 361 inhabitants for a total of three times in two weeks. Data were analyzed for test/retest reliability and internal consistency. Cronbach's alpha was 0.87 at the first interview, 0.87 at the second, and 0.86 at the third. Test/retest reliability assessed via the intra-class correlation coefficient for the total AUDIT scale was 0.93. Area under ROC was 0.805 for a cutoff of seven (sensitivity 76.4%; specificity 75%. The validated AUDIT proved to be internally

Identification of emotional facial expressions among behaviorally inhibited adolescents with lifetime anxiety disorders

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Reeb-Sutherland, Bethany C.; Williams, Lela Rankin; Degnan, Kathryn A.; Pérez-Edgar, Koraly; Chronis-Tuscano, Andrea; Leibenluft, Ellen; Pine, Daniel S.; Pollak, Seth D.; Fox, Nathan A.

2014-01-01

The current study examined differences in emotion expression identification between adolescents characterized with behavioral inhibition (BI) in childhood with and without a lifetime history of anxiety disorder. Participants were originally assessed for behavioral inhibition during toddlerhood and for social reticence during childhood. During adolescence, participants returned to the laboratory and completed a facial-emotion identification task and a clinical psychiatric interview. Results revealed that behaviorally inhibited adolescents with a lifetime history of anxiety disorder displayed a lower threshold for identifying fear relative to anger emotion expressions compared to non-anxious behaviorally inhibited adolescents and non-inhibited adolescents with or without anxiety. These findings were specific to behaviorally inhibited adolescents with a lifetime history of social anxiety disorder. Thus, adolescents with a history of both BI and anxiety, specifically social anxiety, are more likely to differ from other adolescents in their identification of fearful facial expressions. This offers further evidence that perturbations in the processing of emotional stimuli may underlie the etiology of anxiety disorders. PMID:24800906

Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT: explorando seus parâmetros psicométricos

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Walberto Silva dos Santos

2012-01-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: O presente estudo teve como objetivo conhecer evidências de validade e precisão do Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT. MÉTODOS: Contou-se com uma amostra de conveniência (não probabilística de 547 estudantes universitários de Fortaleza (CE, com idade média de 21,6 anos (dp = 4,86; amplitude de 18 a 53, a maioria do sexo masculino (51,5%, solteira (91,4% e católica (62,5%. Os participantes responderam ao AUDIT e a perguntas demográficas. Procurando conhecer a estrutura fatorial, além de estatísticas descritivas, realizou-se uma Análise de Componentes Principais. Adicionalmente, a fim de avaliar a precisão do instrumento, efetuaram-se cálculos de alfa de Cronbach (consistência interna, correlações de r de Pearson e coeficiente de correlação intraclasse - ICC (precisão teste-reteste. RESULTADOS: De acordo com a análise de componentes principais com rotação oblimin, a estrutura bifatorial do AUDIT mostrou-se coerente, com todos os itens apresentando saturações satisfatórias, superior a |0,40|, tendo o Fator 1 explicado 47,5% da variância total com alfa de 0,84 e o Fator 2 explicado 11,6% da variância total com alfa de 0,69. Os resultados do teste-reteste indicaram correlação forte entre os dados obtidos na primeira (t1 e segunda (t2 aplicação (r tt = 0,94, p 0,05, com ICC satisfatório (0,96. CONCLUSÕES: Os achados apoiaram a adequação psicométrica do AUDIT, com as análises fatoriais exploratórias apontando como mais satisfatória a estrutura com dois fatores, bem como atestaram sua boa estabilidade temporal.

The reliability and validity of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in a German general practice population sample.

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Dybek, Inga; Bischof, Gallus; Grothues, Janina; Reinhardt, Susa; Meyer, Christian; Hapke, Ulfert; John, Ulrich; Broocks, Andreas; Hohagen, Fritz; Rumpf, Hans-Jürgen

2006-05-01

Our goal was to analyze the retest reliability and validity of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in a primary-care setting and recommend a cut-off value for the different alcohol-related diagnoses. Participants recruited from general practices (GPs) in two northern German cities received the AUDIT, which was embedded in a health-risk questionnaire. In total, 10,803 screenings were conducted. The retest reliability was tested on a subsample of 99 patients, with an intertest interval of 30 days. Sensitivity and specificity at a number of different cut-off values were estimated for the sample of alcohol consumers (n=8237). For this study, 1109 screen-positive patients received a diagnostic interview. Individuals who scored less than five points in the AUDIT and also tested negative in a second alcohol-related screen were defined as "negative" (n=6003). This definition was supported by diagnostic interviews of 99 screen-negative patients from which no false negatives could be detected. As the gold standard for detection of an alcohol-use disorder (AUD), we used the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview (MCIDI), which is based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, criteria. On the item level, the reliability, measured by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), ranged between .39 (Item 9) and .98 (Item 10). For the total score, the ICC was .95. For cut-off values of eight points and five points, 87.5% and 88.9%, respectively, of the AUDIT-positives, and 98.9% and 95.1%, respectively, of the AUDIT-negatives were identically identified at retest, with kappa = .86 and kappa = .81. At the cut-off value of five points, we determined good combinations of sensitivity and specificity for the following diagnoses: alcohol dependence (sensitivity and specificity of .97 and .88, respectively), AUD (.97 and .92), and AUD and/or at-risk consumption (.97 and .91). Embedded in a health-risk questionnaire in

The Impact of Sex Differences on Odor Identification and Facial Affect Recognition in Patients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders.

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Mossaheb, Nilufar; Kaufmann, Rainer M; Schlögelhofer, Monika; Aninilkumparambil, Thushara; Himmelbauer, Claudia; Gold, Anna; Zehetmayer, Sonja; Hoffmann, Holger; Traue, Harald C; Aschauer, Harald

2018-01-01

Social interactive functions such as facial emotion recognition and smell identification have been shown to differ between women and men. However, little is known about how these differences are mirrored in patients with schizophrenia and how these abilities interact with each other and with other clinical variables in patients vs. healthy controls. Standardized instruments were used to assess facial emotion recognition [Facially Expressed Emotion Labelling (FEEL)] and smell identification [University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT)] in 51 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 79 healthy controls; furthermore, working memory functions and clinical variables were assessed. In both the univariate and the multivariate results, illness showed a significant influence on UPSIT and FEEL. The inclusion of age and working memory in the MANOVA resulted in a differential effect with sex and working memory as remaining significant factors. Duration of illness was correlated with both emotion recognition and smell identification in men only, whereas immediate general psychopathology and negative symptoms were associated with emotion recognition only in women. Being affected by schizophrenia spectrum disorder impacts one's ability to correctly recognize facial affects and identify odors. Converging evidence suggests a link between the investigated basic and social cognitive abilities in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders with a strong contribution of working memory and differential effects of modulators in women vs. men.

The Impact of Sex Differences on Odor Identification and Facial Affect Recognition in Patients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

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Nilufar Mossaheb

2018-01-01

Full Text Available BackgroundSocial interactive functions such as facial emotion recognition and smell identification have been shown to differ between women and men. However, little is known about how these differences are mirrored in patients with schizophrenia and how these abilities interact with each other and with other clinical variables in patients vs. healthy controls.MethodsStandardized instruments were used to assess facial emotion recognition [Facially Expressed Emotion Labelling (FEEL] and smell identification [University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT] in 51 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 79 healthy controls; furthermore, working memory functions and clinical variables were assessed.ResultsIn both the univariate and the multivariate results, illness showed a significant influence on UPSIT and FEEL. The inclusion of age and working memory in the MANOVA resulted in a differential effect with sex and working memory as remaining significant factors. Duration of illness was correlated with both emotion recognition and smell identification in men only, whereas immediate general psychopathology and negative symptoms were associated with emotion recognition only in women.ConclusionBeing affected by schizophrenia spectrum disorder impacts one’s ability to correctly recognize facial affects and identify odors. Converging evidence suggests a link between the investigated basic and social cognitive abilities in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders with a strong contribution of working memory and differential effects of modulators in women vs. men.

The "Sniffin' Kids" test--a 14-item odor identification test for children.

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Valentin A Schriever

Full Text Available Tools for measuring olfactory function in adults have been well established. Although studies have shown that olfactory impairment in children may occur as a consequence of a number of diseases or head trauma, until today no consensus on how to evaluate the sense of smell in children exists in Europe. Aim of the study was to develop a modified "Sniffin' Sticks" odor identification test, the "Sniffin' Kids" test for the use in children. In this study 537 children between 6-17 years of age were included. Fourteen odors, which were identified at a high rate by children, were selected from the "Sniffin' Sticks" 16-item odor identification test. Normative date for the 14-item "Sniffin' Kids" odor identification test was obtained. The test was validated by including a group of congenital anosmic children. Results show that the "Sniffin' Kids" test is able to discriminate between normosmia and anosmia with a cutoff value of >7 points on the odor identification test. In addition the test-retest reliability was investigated in a group of 31 healthy children and shown to be ρ = 0.44. With the 14-item odor identification "Sniffin' Kids" test we present a valid and reliable test for measuring olfactory function in children between ages 6-17 years.

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and carbohydrate-deficient transferrin in alcohol-related sickness absence.

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Hermansson, Ulric; Helander, Anders; Brandt, Lena; Huss, Anders; Rönnberg, Sten

2002-01-01

Previous studies have shown that elevated, risky levels of alcohol consumption may lead to higher rates of sickness absence. However, no studies have examined the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) or serum carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) in relation to sickness absence in the workplace. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between sick-days, 12 months before screening, and the AUDIT and CDT (CDTect kit). Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase also was used for comparison. The study was carried out over 36 months in a large workplace and formed part of an ongoing controlled study. In conjunction with a routine health examination, employees were offered the opportunity to undergo an alcohol screening. Absence data were obtained from the company payroll system, and sickness absence was analyzed by using a three-ordinal level cumulative logistic model on the number of sick-days. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) are reported. Of the 989 subjects who participated in the study, 193 (19.5%) screened positive in relation to either the AUDIT (>or=8 points) or CDT (women), or both. Employees who screened positive with the AUDIT had a significantly higher proportion of sick-days (p = 0.047) compared with those who screened negative (OR = 1.4, CI 1.0-1.9). Neither long, continuous periods of sickness absence nor absence on Mondays or Fridays gave a clear indication of individuals who screened positive on the AUDIT or CDT test. Our data indicate that individuals with moderately elevated or risky levels of alcohol consumption show an increase in sick-days. Accordingly, workplaces have a good reason for using a more systematic approach to alcohol screening in routine workplace health examinations.

Genetic variation of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor gene is associated with alcohol use disorders identification test scores and smoking.

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Suchankova, Petra; Nilsson, Staffan; von der Pahlen, Bettina; Santtila, Pekka; Sandnabba, Kenneth; Johansson, Ada; Jern, Patrick; Engel, Jörgen A; Jerlhag, Elisabet

2016-03-01

The multifaceted gut-brain peptide ghrelin and its receptor (GHSR-1a) are implicated in mechanisms regulating not only the energy balance but also the reward circuitry. In our pre-clinical models, we have shown that ghrelin increases whereas GHSR-1a antagonists decrease alcohol consumption and the motivation to consume alcohol in rodents. Moreover, ghrelin signaling is required for the rewarding properties of addictive drugs including alcohol and nicotine in rodents. Given the hereditary component underlying addictive behaviors and disorders, we sought to investigate whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in the pre-proghrelin gene (GHRL) and GHSR-1a gene (GHSR) are associated with alcohol use, measured by the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) and smoking. Two SNPs located in GHRL, rs4684677 (Gln90Leu) and rs696217 (Leu72Met), and one in GHSR, rs2948694, were genotyped in a subset (n = 4161) of a Finnish population-based cohort, the Genetics of Sexuality and Aggression project. The effect of these SNPs on AUDIT scores and smoking was investigated using linear and logistic regressions, respectively. We found that the minor allele of the rs2948694 SNP was nominally associated with higher AUDIT scores (P = 0.0204, recessive model) and smoking (P = 0.0002, dominant model). Furthermore, post hoc analyses showed that this risk allele was also associated with increased likelihood of having high level of alcohol problems as determined by AUDIT scores ≥ 16 (P = 0.0043, recessive model). These convergent findings lend further support for the hypothesized involvement of ghrelin signaling in addictive disorders. © 2015 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Gene identification in the congenital disorders of glycosylation type I by whole-exome sequencing

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Timal, Sharita; Hoischen, Alexander; Lehle, Ludwig; Adamowicz, Maciej; Huijben, Karin; Sykut-Cegielska, Jolanta; Paprocka, Justyna; Jamroz, Ewa; van Spronsen, Francjan J.; Koerner, Christian; Gilissen, Christian; Rodenburg, Richard J.; Eidhof, Ilse; Van den Heuvel, Lambert; Thiel, Christian; Wevers, Ron A.; Morava, Eva; Veltman, Joris; Lefeber, Dirk J.

2012-01-01

Congenital disorders of glycosylation type I (CDG-I) form a growing group of recessive neurometabolic diseases. Identification of disease genes is compromised by the enormous heterogeneity in clinical symptoms and the large number of potential genes involved. Until now, gene identification included

The Chinese translations of Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in China: a systematic review.

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Li, Qing; Babor, Thomas F; Hao, Wei; Chen, Xinguang

2011-01-01

To systematically review the literature on the Chinese translations of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and their cross-cultural applicability in Chinese language populations. We identified peer-reviewed articles published in English (n = 10) and in Chinese (n = 11) from 1980 to September 2009, with key words China, Chinese and AUDIT among PubMed, EBSCO, PsycInfo, FirstSearch electronic databases and two Chinese databases. Five teams from Beijing, Tibet, Taiwan and Hong Kong reported their region-specific translation procedures, cultural adaptations, validity (0.93-0.95 in two versions) and reliability (0.63-0.99). These Chinese translations and short versions demonstrated relatively high sensitivity (0.880-0.997) and moderate specificity (0.709-0.934) for hazardous/harmful drinking and alcohol dependence, but low specificity for alcohol dependence among Min-Nan Taiwanese (0.58). The AUDIT and its adaptations were most utilized in workplace- and hospital-settings for screening and brief intervention. However, they were under-utilized in population-based surveys, primary care settings, and among women, adolescents, rural-to-urban migrants, the elderly and minorities. Among 12 studies from mainland China, four included both women and men, and only one in Tibet was published in English. There is a growing amount of psychometric, epidemiologic and treatment research using Chinese translations of the AUDIT, much of it still unavailable in the English-language literature. Given the increase in burden of disease and injury attributable to alcohol use in the Western Pacific region, the use of an internationally comparable instrument (such as the AUDIT) in research with Chinese populations presents a unique opportunity to expand clinical and epidemiologic knowledge about alcohol problem epidemics.

Psychometric Properties of Brief Screening Tests for Alcohol Use Disorders during Pregnancy in Argentina.

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López, Mariana Beatriz; Lichtenberger, Aldana; Conde, Karina; Cremonte, Mariana

2017-07-01

Background  Considering the physical, mental and behavioral problems related to fetal alcohol exposure, prenatal clinical guides suggest a brief evaluation of alcohol consumption during pregnancy to detect alcohol intake and to adjust interventions, if required. Even if any alcohol use should be considered risky during pregnancy, identifying women with alcohol use disorders is important because they could need a more specific intervention than simple advice to abstain. Most screening tests have been developed and validated in male populations and focused on the long-term consequences of heavy alcohol use, so they might be inappropriate to assess consumption in pregnant women. Objective  To analyze the internal reliability and validity of the alcohol screening instruments Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test - Consumption (AUDIT-C), Tolerance, Worried, Eye-Opener, Amnesia and Cut-Down (TWEAK), Rapid Alcohol Problems Screen - Quantity Frequency (RAPS-QF) and Tolerance, Annoyed, Cut-Down and Eye-Opener (T-ACE) to identify alcohol use disorders in pregnant women. Methods  A total of 641 puerperal women were personally interviewed during the 48 hours after delivery. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves and the sensitivity and specificity of each instrument using different cut-off points were analyzed. Results  All instruments showed areas under the ROC curves above 0.80. Larger areas were found for the TWEAK and the AUDIT. The TWEAK, the T-ACE and the AUDIT-C showed higher sensitivity, while the AUDIT and the RAPS-QF showed higher specificity. Reliability (internal consistency) was low for all instruments, improving when optimal cut-off points were used, especially for the AUDIT, the AUDIT-C and the RAPS-QF. Conclusions  In other cultural contexts, studies have concluded that T-ACE and TWEAK are the best instruments to assess pregnant women. In contrast, our results evidenced the low

Can the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Test Be the "Gold Standard" for the Motor Assessment of Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder?

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Venetsanou, Fotini; Kambas, Antonis; Ellinoudis, Theodoros; Fatouros, Ioannis; Giannakidou, Dimitra; Kourtessis, Thomas

2011-01-01

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is an important risk factor in the development of children that can have a significant academic and social impact. This reinforces the need for its timely identification using appropriate assessment methods and accurate screening tests. The commonly used standardized motor test for the DCD identification…

Yeast identification: reassessment of assimilation tests as sole universal identifiers.

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Spencer, J; Rawling, S; Stratford, M; Steels, H; Novodvorska, M; Archer, D B; Chandra, S

2011-11-01

To assess whether assimilation tests in isolation remain a valid method of identification of yeasts, when applied to a wide range of environmental and spoilage isolates. Seventy-one yeast strains were isolated from a soft drinks factory. These were identified using assimilation tests and by D1/D2 rDNA sequencing. When compared to sequencing, assimilation test identifications (MicroLog™) were 18·3% correct, a further 14·1% correct within the genus and 67·6% were incorrectly identified. The majority of the latter could be attributed to the rise in newly reported yeast species. Assimilation tests alone are unreliable as a universal means of yeast identification, because of numerous new species, variability of strains and increasing coincidence of assimilation profiles. Assimilation tests still have a useful role in the identification of common species, such as the majority of clinical isolates. It is probable, based on these results, that many yeast identifications reported in older literature are incorrect. This emphasizes the crucial need for accurate identification in present and future publications. © 2011 The Authors. Letters in Applied Microbiology © 2011 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Sex differences in the timing of identification among children and adults with autism spectrum disorders

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Begeer, S.; Mandell, S.; Wijnker-Holmes, B.; Venderbosch, S.; Rem, D.; Stekelenburg, F.; Koot, H.M.

2013-01-01

To examine differences by sex in the timing of identification of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), survey data were collected in the Netherlands from 2,275 males and females with autistic disorder, Asperger's syndrome and PDD-NOS. Among participants <18 years of age, females with

Thought Disorder in Preschool Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

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Hutchison, Amanda K; Kelsay, Kimberly; Talmi, Ayelet; Noonan, Kate; Ross, Randal G

2016-08-01

Preschool identification of and intervention for psychiatric symptoms has the potential for lifelong benefits. However, preschool identification of thought disorder, a symptom associated with long term risk for social and cognitive dysfunction, has received little attention with previous work limited to examining preschoolers with severe emotional and behavioral dysregulation. Using story-stem methodology, 12 children with ADHD and 12 children without ADHD, ages 4.0-6.0 years were evaluated for thought disorder. Thought disorder was reliably assessed (Cronbach's alpha = .958). Children with ADHD were significantly more likely than children without ADHD to exhibit thought disorder (75 vs 25 %; Fischer's Exact Test = .0391). Thought disorder can be reliably assessed in preschool children and is present in preschool children with psychiatric illness including preschool children with ADHD. Thought disorder may be identifiable in preschool years across a broad range of psychiatric illnesses and thus may be an appropriate target of intervention.

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT): Exploring the Factor Structure and Cutoff Thresholds in a Representative Post-Conflict Population in Northern Uganda.

Science.gov (United States)

Blair, Alden Hooper; Pearce, Margo Ellen; Katamba, Achilles; Malamba, Samuel S; Muyinda, Herbert; Schechter, Martin T; Spittal, Patricia M

2017-05-01

Despite increased use of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in sub-Saharan Africa, few studies have assessed its underlying conceptual framework, and none have done so in post-conflict settings. Further, significant inconsistencies exist between definitions used for problematic consumption. Such is the case in Uganda, facing one of the highest per-capita alcohol consumption levels regionally, which is thought to be hindering rebuilding in the North after two decades of civil war. This study explores the impact of varying designation cutoff thresholds in the AUDIT as well as its conceptual factor structure in a representative sample of the population. In all, 1720 Cango Lyec Project participants completed socio-economic and mental health questionnaires, provided blood samples and took the AUDIT. Participant characteristics and consumption designations were compared at AUDIT summary score thresholds of ≥3, ≥5 and ≥8. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) explored one-, two- and three-factor level models overall and by sex with relative and absolute fit indicators. There were no significant differences in participant demographic characteristics between thresholds. At higher cutoffs, the test increased in specificity to identify those with hazardous drinking, disordered drinking and suffering from alcohol-related harms. All conceptual models indicated good fit, with three-factor models superior overall and within both sexes. In Northern Uganda, a three-factor AUDIT model best explores alcohol use in the population and is appropriate for use in both sexes. Lower cutoff thresholds are recommended to identify those with potentially disordered drinking to best plan effective interventions and treatments. A CFA of the AUDIT showed good fit for one-, two, and three-factor models overall and by sex in a representative sample in post-conflict Northern Uganda. A three-plus total AUDIT cutoff score is suggested to screen for hazardous drinking in this or

The PDD-MRS : An instrument for identification of autism spectrum disorders in persons with mental retardation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kraijer, D; de Bildt, A

The Scale of Pervasive Developmental Disorder in Mentally Retarded Persons (PDD-MRS) is described. The PDD-MRS is a simple classification and screening instrument devised for identification of autistic disorders (of the entire spectrum) in persons with mental retardation from mild to profound

Alcohol Use-Related Problems Among a Rural Indian Population of West Bengal: An Application of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).

Science.gov (United States)

Barik, Anamitra; Rai, Rajesh Kumar; Chowdhury, Abhijit

2016-03-01

To examine alcohol use and related problems among a rural subset of the Indian population. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was used as part of Health and Demographic Surveillance of 36,611 individuals aged ≥18 years. From this survey data on 3671 current alcohol users were analysed using bivariate and multivariate ordered logit regression. Over 19% of males and 2.4% of females were current alcohol users. Mean ethanol consumption on a typical drinking day among males was estimated to be higher (96.3 gm) than females (56.5 gm). Mean AUDIT score was 11 among current alcohol users. AUDIT showed in the ordered logit regression estimated alcohol use-related problems to be low among women, Scheduled Tribes and unmarried people, whereas alcohol use-related problems registered high among Muslims. This rural population appears to be in need of an effective intervention program, perhaps targeting men and the household, aimed at reducing the level of alcohol use and related problems. © The Author 2015. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test for Consumption (AUDIT-C is more useful than pre-existing laboratory tests for predicting hazardous drinking: a cross-sectional study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hideki Fujii

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background It is important to screen for alcohol consumption and drinking customs in a standardized manner. The aim of this study was 1 to investigate whether the AUDIT score is useful for predicting hazardous drinking using optimal cutoff scores and 2 to use multivariate analysis to evaluate whether the AUDIT score was more useful than pre-existing laboratory tests for predicting hazardous drinking. Methods A cross-sectional study using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT was conducted in 334 outpatients who consulted our internal medicine department. The patients completed self-reported questionnaires and underwent a diagnostic interview, physical examination, and laboratory testing. Results Forty (23 % male patients reported daily alcohol consumption ≥ 40 g, and 16 (10 % female patients reported consumption ≥ 20 g. The optimal cutoff values of hazardous drinking were calculated using a 10-fold cross validation, resulting in an optimal AUDIT score cutoff of 8.2, with a sensitivity of 95.5 %, specificity of 87.0 %, false positive rate of 13.0 %, false negative rate of 4.5 %, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.97. Multivariate analysis revealed that the most popular short version of the AUDIT consisting solely of its three consumption items (AUDIT-C and patient sex were significantly associated with hazardous drinking. The aspartate transaminase (AST/alanine transaminase (ALT ratio and mean corpuscular volume (MCV were weakly significant. Conclusions This study showed that the AUDIT score and particularly the AUDIT-C score were more useful than the AST/ALT ratio and MCV for predicting hazardous drinking.

Identification of Inhibitors of Biological Interactions Involving Intrinsically Disordered Proteins

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela Marasco

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Protein–protein interactions involving disordered partners have unique features and represent prominent targets in drug discovery processes. Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDPs are involved in cellular regulation, signaling and control: they bind to multiple partners and these high-specificity/low-affinity interactions play crucial roles in many human diseases. Disordered regions, terminal tails and flexible linkers are particularly abundant in DNA-binding proteins and play crucial roles in the affinity and specificity of DNA recognizing processes. Protein complexes involving IDPs are short-lived and typically involve short amino acid stretches bearing few “hot spots”, thus the identification of molecules able to modulate them can produce important lead compounds: in this scenario peptides and/or peptidomimetics, deriving from structure-based, combinatorial or protein dissection approaches, can play a key role as hit compounds. Here, we propose a panoramic review of the structural features of IDPs and how they regulate molecular recognition mechanisms focusing attention on recently reported drug-design strategies in the field of IDPs.

Two rapid pigmentation tests for identification of Cryptococcus neoformans.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaufmann, C S; Merz, W G

1982-01-01

Two tests were developed for the rapid identification of Cryptococcus neoformans based on pigment produced by the organism's phenoloxidase activity. Caffeic acid was incorporated into cornmeal agar, a medium used routinely for yeast identification. When tested on this medium, only C. neoformans isolates produced brown pigment. All other yeasts maintained their normal morphology and did not produce the reaction product. A non-medium-based test was developed for same-day identification of C. neoformans isolates. Paper strips saturated with a buffered L-beta-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine-ferric citrate solution were inoculated with isolates and incubated at 37 degrees C. Pigment production occurred only with C. neoformans isolates, many within 60 to 90 min. All other yeasts remained negative. PMID:7040452

System for identification of microorganism and detection of infectious disorder

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2013-01-01

Methods for the identification of microorganisms or infectious disorders are disclosed, comprising obtaining a suitable sample from sources such as persons, animals, plants, food, water or soil. The methods also comprise providing tailored nucleic acid substrate(s) designed to react with a type 1...... topoisomerase from one or more microorganism(s) or infectious agent(s), and incubating said substrate with said sample, or extracts or preparations from the sample, so that the substrate is processed by said topoisomerase if said microorganism(s) or infectious agent(s) is present in the sample. Finally......, processed substrates are identified and potentially quantified by one or more of a range of standard molecular biology methods and read-out systems. The identification and potential quantification of microorganisms and infectious agents, including but not limited to Plasmodium falciparum and Mycobacterium...

Test Plan for Cask Identification Detector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rauch, Eric Benton [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-09-29

This document serves to outline the testing of a Used Fuel Cask Identification Detector (CID) currently being designed under the DOE-NE MPACT Campaign. A bench-scale prototype detector will be constructed and tested using surrogate neutron sources. The testing will serve to inform the design of the full detector that is to be used as a way of fingerprinting used fuel storage casks based on the neutron signature produced by the used fuel inside the cask.

The SCS double hydrometer test in dispersive soil identification

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Maharaj, A

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The standard testing procedures for the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) Double Hydrometer test, the Pinhole Test, Crumb test and chemical analyses for the identification of potentially dispersive soils have recently been studied and problems...

Technical testing of portable isotope identification instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, D.E.

2001-01-01

. First generation portable isotope identifiers were identified and evaluated by U.S. Customs. Instruments from five vendors were put through a battery of tests according to delineated test procedures. The tests fell into five categories: Basic operation verification; Medical isotope identification; Individual isotope identification; Isotope pair identification; Dose rate calculation. The tests can be summarized as an initial verification of correct instrument operation (including whatever calibration procedure was specified by the vendor), followed by three different isotope identification tests designed to verify the instrument's ability to correctly identify 19 isotopes specified by U.S. Customs. The final test determined each instrument's ability to correctly display the dose rate from a wide energy range of gamma emitters. The individual isotope identification test and the isotope pair identification test were performed with three types of intervening shielding. The first of these three types used the minimum packaging needed for safe source handling and was, in general, thin plastic. This type of shielding is virtually identical to a bare radiation source. The second type of shielding used 2.7 mm of steel to simulate the wall of a typical transportainer (or sea-tainer). The third type of shielding used 6.94 mm of lead to simulate typical industrial packaging or, perhaps, an attempt by the shipper to conceal the source without unduly increasing the weight of the shipment. The isotopes tested were broadly categorized as: Special nuclear material (SNM), Medical, and Industrial. These included 17 gamma emitters, 1 beta emitter, and 1 neutron emitter. Each instrument was subjected to the following testing regimen: First, each instrument was calibrated according to vendor's procedures. Instrument size and weight were recorded. Next, the instrument's response to medical isotopes in their usual shipping containers was measured. This represents the most commonly occurring

Explicit versus implicit social cognition testing in autism spectrum disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Callenmark, Björn; Kjellin, Lars; Rönnqvist, Louise; Bölte, Sven

2014-08-01

Although autism spectrum disorder is defined by reciprocal social-communication impairments, several studies have found no evidence for altered social cognition test performance. This study examined explicit (i.e. prompted) and implicit (i.e. spontaneous) variants of social cognition testing in autism spectrum disorder. A sample of 19 adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and 19 carefully matched typically developing controls completed the Dewey Story Test. 'Explicit' (multiple-choice answering format) and 'implicit' (free interview) measures of social cognition were obtained. Autism spectrum disorder participants did not differ from controls regarding explicit social cognition performance. However, the autism spectrum disorder group performed more poorly than controls on implicit social cognition performance in terms of spontaneous perspective taking and social awareness. Findings suggest that social cognition alterations in autism spectrum disorder are primarily implicit in nature and that an apparent absence of social cognition difficulties on certain tests using rather explicit testing formats does not necessarily mean social cognition typicality in autism spectrum disorder. © The Author(s) 2013.

Optical Automatic Car Identification (OACI) Field Test Program

Science.gov (United States)

1976-05-01

The results of the Optical Automatic Car Identification (OACI) tests at Chicago conducted from August 16 to September 4, 1975 are presented. The main purpose of this test was to determine the suitability of optics as a principle of operation for an a...

Critical overview of applications of genetic testing in sport talent identification.

Science.gov (United States)

Roth, Stephen M

2012-12-01

Talent identification for future sport performance is of paramount interest for many groups given the challenges of finding and costs of training potential elite athletes. Because genetic factors have been implicated in many performance- related traits (strength, endurance, etc.), a natural inclination is to consider the addition of genetic testing to talent identification programs. While the importance of genetic factors to sport performance is generally not disputed, whether genetic testing can positively inform talent identification is less certain. The present paper addresses the science behind the genetic tests that are now commercially available (some under patent protection) and aimed at predicting future sport performance potential. Also discussed are the challenging ethical issues that emerge from the availability of these tests. The potential negative consequences associated with genetic testing of young athletes will very likely outweigh any positive benefit for sport performance prediction at least for the next several years. The paper ends by exploring the future possibilities for genetic testing as the science of genomics in sport matures over the coming decade(s).

A review of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), AUDIT-C, and USAUDIT for screening in the United States: Past issues and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Higgins-Biddle, John C; Babor, Thomas F

2018-05-03

The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that clinicians screen all adults for alcohol misuse and provide brief counseling to those engaged in risky or hazardous drinking. The World Health Organization's (WHO's) Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is the most widely tested instrument for screening in primary health care. This paper describes the structural and functional features of the AUDIT and methodological problems with the validation of the alcohol consumption questions (AUDIT-C). The content, scoring, and rationale for a new version of the AUDIT (called the USAUDIT), adapted to US standard drink size and hazardous drinking guidelines, is presented. Narrative review focusing on the consumption elements of the AUDIT. Four studies of the AUDIT-C are reviewed and evaluated. The AUDIT has been used extensively in many countries without making the changes in the first three consumption questions recommended in the AUDIT User's Manual. As a consequence, the original WHO version is not compatible with US guidelines and AUDIT scores are not comparable with those obtained in countries that have different drink sizes, consumption units, and safe drinking limits. Clinical and Scientific Significance. The USAUDIT has adapted the WHO AUDIT to a 14 g standard drink, and US low-risk drinking guidelines. These changes provide greater accuracy in measuring alcohol consumption than the AUDIT-C.

Identification and Management of Eating Disorders in Integrated Primary Care: Recommendations for Psychologists in Integrated Care Settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Buchholz, Laura J; King, Paul R; Wray, Laura O

2017-06-01

Eating disorders are associated with deleterious health consequences, increased risk of mortality, and psychosocial impairment. Although individuals with eating disorders are likely to seek treatment in general medical settings such as primary care (PC), these conditions are often under-detected by PC providers. However, psychologists in integrated PC settings are likely to see patients with eating disorders because of the mental health comorbidities associated with these conditions. Further, due to their training in identifying risk factors associated with eating disorders (i.e., comorbid mental health and medical disorders) and opportunities for collaboration with PC providers, psychologists are well-positioned to improve the detection and management of eating disorders in PC. This paper provides a brief overview of eating disorders and practical guidance for psychologists working in integrated PC settings to facilitate the identification and management of these conditions.

Convergent functional genomics of anxiety disorders: translational identification of genes, biomarkers, pathways and mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Le-Niculescu, H; Balaraman, Y; Patel, S D; Ayalew, M; Gupta, J; Kuczenski, R; Shekhar, A; Schork, N; Geyer, M A; Niculescu, A B

2011-05-24

Anxiety disorders are prevalent and disabling yet understudied from a genetic standpoint, compared with other major psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The fact that they are more common, diverse and perceived as embedded in normal life may explain this relative oversight. In addition, as for other psychiatric disorders, there are technical challenges related to the identification and validation of candidate genes and peripheral biomarkers. Human studies, particularly genetic ones, are susceptible to the issue of being underpowered, because of genetic heterogeneity, the effect of variable environmental exposure on gene expression, and difficulty of accrual of large, well phenotyped cohorts. Animal model gene expression studies, in a genetically homogeneous and experimentally tractable setting, can avoid artifacts and provide sensitivity of detection. Subsequent translational integration of the animal model datasets with human genetic and gene expression datasets can ensure cross-validatory power and specificity for illness. We have used a pharmacogenomic mouse model (involving treatments with an anxiogenic drug--yohimbine, and an anti-anxiety drug--diazepam) as a discovery engine for identification of anxiety candidate genes as well as potential blood biomarkers. Gene expression changes in key brain regions for anxiety (prefrontal cortex, amygdala and hippocampus) and blood were analyzed using a convergent functional genomics (CFG) approach, which integrates our new data with published human and animal model data, as a translational strategy of cross-matching and prioritizing findings. Our work identifies top candidate genes (such as FOS, GABBR1, NR4A2, DRD1, ADORA2A, QKI, RGS2, PTGDS, HSPA1B, DYNLL2, CCKBR and DBP), brain-blood biomarkers (such as FOS, QKI and HSPA1B), pathways (such as cAMP signaling) and mechanisms for anxiety disorders--notably signal transduction and reactivity to environment, with a prominent role for the

One-year abstinence improves ADHD symptoms among patients with polysubstance use disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Egon Hagen

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD is a common comorbid disorder in patients suffering from substance use disorder (SUD. Individuals with co-occurring SUD and ADHD are more likely than SUD patients without ADHD to have developed SUD at a younger age, be polysubstance users, and need inpatient treatment more often. The present study investigates whether individuals with polysubstance use disorder who remain abstinent for a year after entering treatment have a more substantial reduction in ADHD symptoms than those who relapsed and controls. Material and methods: Subjects were SUD patients (N=115 and healthy controls (N=34. ADHD symptoms were assessed using the adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS. Substance use was assessed by self-reports on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT and the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT. Participants were defined as having relapsed if they had an AUDIT score≥8 or a DUDIT score≥2 for women and≥6 for men. Results: Patients who remained abstinent for one year reported a substantial reduction of ADHD symptoms compared to patients who relapsed and controls. Conclusions: Abstinence alleviates ADHD symptoms among patients with polysubstance use disorder. We suggest that confirmation of an ADHD diagnosis should follow a period of abstinence to avoid identification of false-positive cases. Keywords: Polysubstance, Recovery, ADHD, Substance use disorder

State-Dependent Alterations in Inhibitory Control and Emotional Face Identification in Seasonal Affective Disorder

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjordt, Liv V.; Stenbæk, Dea S.; Madsen, Kathrine Skak

2017-01-01

Background: Depressed individuals often exhibit impaired inhibition to negative input and identification of positive stimuli, but it is unclear whether this is a state or trait feature. We here exploited a naturalistic model, namely individuals with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), to study thi...... of life for these patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)...

Utilization of School Nurses during the Evaluation and Identification of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Science.gov (United States)

Mcintosh, Constance E.; Thomas, Cynthia M.

2015-01-01

This study explored school nurses' involvement during the identification and treatment of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The extent of school nurses' collaboration with school psychologists and other educators also was studied. Participants included 100 school nurses, representing 18 states, who completed a survey on ASD. The…

Reliability and validity of a talent identification test battery for seated and standing Paralympic throws.

Science.gov (United States)

Spathis, Jemima Grace; Connick, Mark James; Beckman, Emma Maree; Newcombe, Peter Anthony; Tweedy, Sean Michael

2015-01-01

Paralympic throwing events for athletes with physical impairments comprise seated and standing javelin, shot put, discus and seated club throwing. Identification of talented throwers would enable prediction of future success and promote participation; however, a valid and reliable talent identification battery for Paralympic throwing has not been reported. This study evaluates the reliability and validity of a talent identification battery for Paralympic throws. Participants were non-disabled so that impairment would not confound analyses, and results would provide an indication of normative performance. Twenty-eight non-disabled participants (13 M; 15 F) aged 23.6 years (±5.44) performed five kinematically distinct criterion throws (three seated, two standing) and nine talent identification tests (three anthropometric, six motor); 23 were tested a second time to evaluate test-retest reliability. Talent identification test-retest reliability was evaluated using Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots (Limits of Agreement). Spearman's correlation assessed strength of association between criterion throws and talent identification tests. Reliability was generally acceptable (mean ICC = 0.89), but two seated talent identification tests require more extensive familiarisation. Correlation strength (mean rs = 0.76) indicated that the talent identification tests can be used to validly identify individuals with competitively advantageous attributes for each of the five kinematically distinct throwing activities. Results facilitate further research in this understudied area.

Direct structural parameter identification by modal test results

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, J.-C.; Kuo, C.-P.; Garba, J. A.

1983-01-01

A direct identification procedure is proposed to obtain the mass and stiffness matrices based on the test measured eigenvalues and eigenvectors. The method is based on the theory of matrix perturbation in which the correct mass and stiffness matrices are expanded in terms of analytical values plus a modification matrix. The simplicity of the procedure enables real time operation during the structural testing.

Comparison of System Identification Methods using Ambient Bridge Test Data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, P.; Brincker, Rune; Peeters, B.

1999-01-01

In this paper the performance of four different system identification methods is compared using operational data obtained from an ambient vibration test of the Swiss Z24 highway bridge. The four methods are the frequency domain based peak-picking methods, the polyreference LSCE method, the stocha......In this paper the performance of four different system identification methods is compared using operational data obtained from an ambient vibration test of the Swiss Z24 highway bridge. The four methods are the frequency domain based peak-picking methods, the polyreference LSCE method...

Germination test for identification of gamma-irradiated bean seeds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wesolowska, B.; Ignatowicz, S.

1993-01-01

The feasibility of germination test for the practical detection of irradiated beans has not been investigated. The objective of this study was to determine if the relationship between the root growth rate and radiation dose could be used to produce a rapid analytical method for identification of irradiated beans. Such detection method could be potentially used for both (a) identification of irradiated food, and (b) for quarantine inspection (to certify that the agricultural product has been irradiated, and the pests present in it do not pose a quarantine risk). Results presented in this paper indicate that the germination test is not always capable of discriminating satisfactorily between irradiated and unirradiated samples of bean seeds, because the sensitivity of the test is often higher than the low doses which are suggested for disinfestation purposes. However, using the germination test, an unexperienced person can easily discriminate untreated bean seeds from those irradiated with 0.3-1.5 kGy doses of gamma radiation. (orig./vhe)

Health disorders related to learning the welding trade: assessment of approaches to risk communication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clarice Alves Bonow

2014-01-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: to assess the identification of health disorders as self-reported by apprentices of welding and to analyze the strength of the relationship between age and time of experience with self-reported health disorders before and after a socio-environmental nursing intervention. METHOD: this quasi-experimental, non-randomized, before-and-after study was conducted with 86 welding apprentices from a private entity. RESULTS: the results show a significant difference for the pre- and post-test means and an increase in the post-test mean score for the cardiovascular, respiratory and cutaneous systems. There was also a negative correlation between the apprentices' ages and the identification of health disorders. CONCLUSION: the socio-environmental nursing intervention enabled obtaining information on health disorders related to welding. In turn, such information enabled the apprentices to assess information and self-report health disorders.

Olfactory functions are not associated with autism severity in autism spectrum disorders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dudova I

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Iva Dudova, Michal HrdlickaDepartment of Child Psychiatry, University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech RepublicBackground: Changes in olfactory functions have been found in many neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between olfactory functions (odor-detection thresholds, odor identification, and odor preference and autism severity and sensory-related behavior in children and adolescents with ASD.Subjects and methods: Our sample consisted of 35 high-functioning patients with ASD (mean age 10.8±3.6 years, 31 boys. Olfactory testing (threshold and identification used the Sniffin' Sticks test. Odor pleasantness was assessed on a 5-point scale using the Identification part of the Sniffin’ Sticks test. The severity of autistic psychopathology was measured using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS.Results: Using Spearman’s correlation, we found no significant correlations between autism severity (as expressed by total CARS score and odor-detection thresholds (R=0.144, P=0.409, odor identification (R=0.07, P=0.966, or odor pleasantness (R=-0.046, P=0.794. There was also no significant relationship between CARS item 9 (“Taste, smell, and touch response and use” and odor-detection thresholds (R=0.170, P=0.330, odor identification (R=0.282, P=0.100, or odor pleasantness (R=0.017, P=0.923.Conclusion: We did not find any significant relationship between the severity of autistic psychopathology and olfactory functions.Keywords: autism spectrum disorders, psychopathology, Sniffin’ Sticks, odor threshold, odor identification, odor pleasantness

[Does the Fragmented Images Test measure locally oriented visual processing in autism spectrum disorders?].

Science.gov (United States)

Scheurich, Armin; Fellgiebel, Andreas; Müller, Mattias J; Poustka, Fritz; Bölte, Sven

2010-03-01

The cognitive phenotype of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is characterized among other things by local processing (weak central coherence). It was examined whether a test that measures identification of fragmented pictures (FBT) is able to seize this preference for local processing. The FBT performance of 15 patients with ASD, 16 with depression, 16 with schizophrenia and of 16 control subjects was compared. In addition, two tests well known to be sensitive to local processing were assessed, namely the Embedded Figures Test (EFT) and the Block Design Test (BDT). ASD patients demonstrated a preference for local processing. Difficulties in global processing, or more specifically in gestalt perception (FBT), were accompanied by good performance on the EFT and BDT as expected. Controlling for age and nonverbal intelligence (ANCOVA) reduced differences to trends. However, the calculation of difference scores (i.e., subtraction of FBT from EFT performance) resulted in significant differences between ASD and control groups even after controlling for of age and intelligence. The FBT is a suitable exploratory test of local visual processing in ASD. In particular, a difference criterion can be generated (FBT vs. EFT) that discriminates between ASD and clinical as well as healthy control groups.

Pescara benchmark: overview of modelling, testing and identification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bellino, A; Garibaldi, L; Marchesiello, S; Brancaleoni, F; Gabriele, S; Spina, D; Bregant, L; Carminelli, A; Catania, G; Sorrentino, S; Di Evangelista, A; Valente, C; Zuccarino, L

2011-01-01

The 'Pescara benchmark' is part of the national research project 'BriViDi' (BRIdge VIbrations and DIagnosis) supported by the Italian Ministero dell'Universita e Ricerca. The project is aimed at developing an integrated methodology for the structural health evaluation of railway r/c, p/c bridges. The methodology should provide for applicability in operating conditions, easy data acquisition through common industrial instrumentation, robustness and reliability against structural and environmental uncertainties. The Pescara benchmark consisted in lab tests to get a consistent and large experimental data base and subsequent data processing. Special tests were devised to simulate the train transit effects in actual field conditions. Prestressed concrete beams of current industrial production both sound and damaged at various severity corrosion levels were tested. The results were collected either in a deterministic setting and in a form suitable to deal with experimental uncertainties. Damage identification was split in two approaches: with or without a reference model. In the first case f.e. models were used in conjunction with non conventional updating techniques. In the second case, specialized output-only identification techniques capable to deal with time-variant and possibly non linear systems were developed. The lab tests allowed validating the above approaches and the performances of classical modal based damage indicators.

Explicit versus Implicit Social Cognition Testing in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Callenmark, Björn; Kjellin, Lars; Rönnqvist, Louise; Bölte, Sven

2014-01-01

Although autism spectrum disorder is defined by reciprocal social-communication impairments, several studies have found no evidence for altered social cognition test performance. This study examined explicit (i.e. prompted) and implicit (i.e. spontaneous) variants of social cognition testing in autism spectrum disorder. A sample of 19 adolescents…

Biometric identification devices -- Laboratory testing vs. real life

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahrens, J.S.

1997-01-01

For over fifteen years Sandia National Laboratories has been involved in laboratory testing of biometric identification devices. The key concept of biometric identification devices is the ability for the system to identify some unique aspect of the individual rather than some object a person may be carrying or some password they are required to know. Tests were conducted to verify manufacturer's performance claims, to determine strengths/weaknesses of devices, and to determine devices that meet the US Department of energy's needs. However, during recent field installation, significantly different performance was observed than was predicted by laboratory tests. Although most people using the device believed it operated adequately, the performance observed was over an order of magnitude worse than predicted. The search for reasons behind this gap between the predicted and the actual performance has revealed many possible contributing factors. As engineers, the most valuable lesson to be learned from this experience is the value of scientists and engineers with (1) common sense, (2) knowledge of human behavior, (3) the ability to observe the real world, and (4) the capability to realize the significant differences between controlled experiments and actual installations

Identification of the Quality Spot Welding used Non Destructive Test-Ultrasonic Testing: (Effect of Welding Time)

Science.gov (United States)

Sifa, A.; Endramawan, T.; Badruzzaman

2017-03-01

Resistance Spot Welding (RSW) is frequently used as one way of welding is used in the manufacturing process, especially in the automotive industry [4][5][6][7]. Several parameters influence the process of welding points. To determine the quality of a welding job needs to be tested, either by damaging or testing without damage, in this study conducted experimental testing the quality of welding or identify quality of the nugget by using Non-Destructive Test (NDT) -Ultrasonic Testing (UT), in which the identification of the quality of the welding is done with parameter thickness of worksheet after welding using NDT-UT with use same material worksheet and have more thickness of worksheet, the thickness of the worksheet single plate 1mm, with the capability of propagation Ultrasonic Testing (UT) standard limited> 3 mm [1], welding process parameters such as the time difference between 1-10s and the welding current of 8 KV, visually Heat Affected Zone ( HAZ ) have different results due to the length of time of welding. UT uses a probe that is used with a frequency of 4 MHz, diameter 10 mm, range 100 and the couplant used is oil. Identification techniques using drop 6dB, with sound velocity 2267 m / s of Fe, with the result that the effect of the Welding time affect the size of the HAZ, identification with the lowest time 1s show results capable identified joined through NDT - UT.

The Prevalence of Common Mental Disorders Among South Africans Seeking HIV Testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Kagee, Ashraf; Saal, Wylene; De Villiers, Laing; Sefatsa, Mpho; Bantjes, Jason

2017-06-01

We administered the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM to 485 persons seeking HIV testing at five community testing centres in South Africa to determine the prevalence of common mental disorders among this population. The prevalence estimates for the various disorders were as follows: major depressive disorder: 14.2 % (95 % CI [11.1, 17.3]); generalised anxiety disorder 5.0 % (95 % CI [3.07, 6.93]); posttraumatic stress disorder 4.9 % (95 % CI [2.98, 6.82]); and alcohol use disorder 19.8 % (95 % CI [16.26, 23.34]). Our findings imply the need to research the integration of screening and referral trajectories in the context of voluntary HIV counselling and testing.

Adaptação e validação do Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT para população ribeirinha do interior da Amazônia, Brasil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo Otávio Moretti-Pires

2011-03-01

Full Text Available O objetivo deste artigo foi validar o Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT para a população do interior do Amazonas, Brasil. A versão original em Inglês foi traduzida para o Português, usando-se o procedimento recomendado pela Organização Mundial da Saúde. O texto foi, então, retraduzido e enviado para um tradutor inglês nativo, que aprovou a tradução. O AUDIT foi administrado a 361 habitantes, três vezes, em um período de duas semanas (teste e reteste. Os dados foram analisados para a confiabilidade e consistência interna. O alfa de Cronbach foi de 0,87 na primeira aplicação, 0,87 na segunda e 0,86 na terceira. A confiabilidade Teste/Reteste foi avaliada usando-se o coeficiente de correlação intraclasse, que para a pontuação total do AUDIT foi de 0,93. A área sob a curva ROC foi de 0,805 no ponto de corte sete (sensibilidade de 76,4% e especificidade 75%. Conclusões: a versão do AUDIT validada mostra-se internamente consistente e estável no contexto investigado, destacando-se a necessidade de avaliação de outras propriedades psicométricas.

Testing for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Systems: Identification of Technologies for Effluent Treatment in Test Facilities

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Key steps to ensure identification of relevant effluent treatment technologies for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) testing include the following. 1. Review of...

[Evaluation of a rapid trehalase test for the identification of Candida glabrata].

Science.gov (United States)

Kirdar, Sevin; Gültekin, Berna; Evcil, Gonca; Ozkütük, Aydan; Sener, Asli Gamze; Aydin, Neriman

2009-04-01

Candida species which cause local infections, may also lead to fatal systemic infections. The increasing incidence of non-albicans Candida, especially fluconazole susceptible or resistant dose-dependent C. glabrata, increased the importance of rapid and accurate species level identification for Candida. Rapid and correct identification of C. glabrata is essential for the initiation of the appropriate antifungal therapy. This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the rapid trehalase test in the diagnosis of C. glabrata isolates. A total of 173 Candida strains isolated from various clinical specimens and identified according to germ tube test, growth on cornmeal Tween 80 agar and the colony morphologies on Mast-CHROMagar Candida medium (Mast Diagnostics, UK), were included to the study. The identification of non-albicans Candida species were also confirmed by API 20CAUX (BioMerieux, France) system. Accordingly 86 (50%) of the isolates were identified as C. glabrata, 48 (28%) C. albicans, 17 (10%) C. krusei, 13 (8%) C. tropicalis, 5 (3%) C. parapsilosis, 3 (2%) C. kefyr and 1 (1%) Cutilis. In order to detect the presence of trehalase enzyme in Condida strains, all isolates were grown on Sabouraud dextrose agar containing 4% glucose and then one yeast colony was emulsified in 50 microl of citrate buffer containing 4% (wt/vol) trehalose for 3 h at 37 degrees C. Presence of glucose which emerged after the action of trehalase on trehalose, was detected by a commercial "urinary glucose detection dipstick" (Spinreacta, Spain). All C. glabrata strains yielded positive result by trehalase test. None C. glabrata isolates were found negative by trehalase test except for one strain of C. tropicalis. In this study, the trehalase test allowed identification of C. globrata with 100% sensitivity and 98.9% specificity. It was concluded that trehalase test is a rapid, cost-effective and simple test that can be used for the accurate identification of C. glabrata.

Neurobiological correlates of avatar identification processing and emotional inhibitory control in internet gaming disorder

OpenAIRE

Dieter, Julia

2017-01-01

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is the most prevalent subcategory of internet addiction. It has been associated with self-concept deficits and related characteristics such as emotional as well as social competence deficits, increased social anxiety and a stronger identification with the own avatar (i.e. a graphical agent that often seems to be constructed according to gamers’ ideal). In addition, IGD seems to be linked with inhibitory control deficits, definable as impairments in the inhibitio...

Is Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT or its shorter versions more useful to identify risky drinkers in a Chinese population? A diagnostic study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benjamin H K Yip

Full Text Available To examine the diagnostic performance of shorter versions of Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT, including Alcohol Consumption (AUDIT-C, in identifying risky drinkers in primary care settings using conventional performance measures, supplemented by decision curve analysis and reclassification table.A cross-sectional study of adult males in general outpatient clinics in Hong Kong. The study included only patients who reported at least sometimes drinking alcoholic beverages. Timeline follow back alcohol consumption assessment method was used as the reference standard. A Chinese translated and validated 10-item AUDIT (Ch-AUDIT was used as a screening tool of risky drinking.Of the participants, 21.7% were classified as risky drinkers. AUDIT-C has the best overall performance among the shorter versions of Ch-AUDIT. The AUC of AUDIT-C was comparable to Ch-AUDIT (0.898 vs 0.901, p-value = 0.959. Decision curve analysis revealed that when the threshold probability ranged from 15-30%, the AUDIT-C had a higher net-benefit than all other screens. AUDIT-C improved the reclassification of risky drinking when compared to Ch-AUDIT (net reclassification improvement = 0.167. The optimal cut-off of AUDIT-C was at ≥5.Given the rising levels of alcohol consumption in the Chinese regions, this Chinese translated 3-item instrument provides convenient and time-efficient risky drinking screening and may become an increasingly useful tool.

Performance of cognitive tests, individually and combined, for the detection of cognitive disorders amongst community-dwelling elderly people with memory complaints: the EVATEM study.

Science.gov (United States)

Vannier-Nitenberg, C; Dauphinot, V; Bongue, B; Sass, C; Bathsavanis, A; Rouch, I; Deville, N; Beauchet, O; Krolak-Salmon, P; Fantino, B

2016-03-01

Dementia is a leading cause of dependence amongst the aged population. Early identification of cognitive impairment could help to delay advanced stages of dependence. This study aimed at assessing the performance of three neuropsychological tests to detect cognitive disorders in elderly subjects with memory complaints. The EVATEM study is a prospective multicentre cohort with a 1-year follow-up. Subjects with memory complaints were selected during preventive health examinations, and three neuropsychological tests (five-word, cognitive disorders examination, verbal fluency) were administered. Two groups were identified in memory clinics: (i) cognitively healthy individuals (CHI) and (ii) mild cognitive impairment or demented individuals (MCI-DI). Cross-sectional analyses were performed on data at inclusion. The relationship between the diagnosis of MCI-DI/CHI and the neuropsychological tests was assessed using logistic regressions. The performance of the neuropsychological tests, individually and combined, to detect cognitive disorders was calculated. Of 585 subjects, 31.11% had cognitive disorders (MCI, 176 subjects; DI, six subjects). Amongst the three tests studied, the odds ratio for MCI-DI was higher for the five-word test <10 [odds ratio 3.2 (1.81; 5.63)]. The best performance was observed when the three tests were combined: specificity 90.5% and sensitivity 42.4% compared to respectively 89.2% and 28.3% for the five-word test. Despite the poor sensitivity of the five-word test, it seems to be the most adapted for the diagnosis of MCI-DI in older adults with a memory complaint, in prevention centres, taking into account its high specificity and its rapid administration compared to the other tests. © 2015 EAN.

Caffeine challenge test and panic disorder: a systematic literature review.

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Vilarim, Marina Machado; Rocha Araujo, Daniele Marano; Nardi, Antonio Egidio

2011-08-01

This systematic review aimed to examine the results of studies that have investigated the induction of panic attacks and/or the anxiogenic effect of the caffeine challenge test in patients with panic disorder. The literature search was performed in PubMed, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde and the ISI Web of Knowledge. The words used for the search were caffeine, caffeine challenge test, panic disorder, panic attacks and anxiety disorder. In total, we selected eight randomized, double-blind studies where caffeine was administered orally, and none of them controlled for confounding factors in the analysis. The percentage of loss during follow-up ranged between 14.3% and 73.1%. The eight studies all showed a positive association between caffeine and anxiogenic effects and/or panic disorder.

PINS Testing and Modification for Explosive Identification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seabury, E.H.; Caffrey, A.J.

2011-01-01

The INL's Portable Isotopic Neutron Spectroscopy System (PINS)1 non-intrusively identifies the chemical fill of munitions and sealed containers. PINS is used routinely by the U.S. Army, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and foreign military units to determine the contents of munitions and other containers suspected to contain explosives, smoke-generating chemicals, and chemical warfare agents such as mustard and nerve gas. The objects assayed with PINS range from softball-sized M139 chemical bomblets to 200 gallon DOT 500X ton containers. INL had previously examined2 the feasibility of using a similar system for the identification of explosives, and based on this proof-of-principle test, the development of a dedicated system for the identification of explosives in an improvised nuclear device appears entirely feasible. INL has been tasked by NNSA NA-42 Render Safe Research and Development with the development of such a system.

The interaction between awareness of one's own speech disorder with linguistics variables: distinctive features and severity of phonological disorder.

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Dias, Roberta Freitas; Melo, Roberta Michelon; Mezzomo, Carolina Lisbôa; Mota, Helena Bolli

2013-01-01

To analyze the possible relationship among the awareness of one's own speech disorder and some aspects of the phonological system, as the number and the type of changed distinctive features, as well as the interaction among the severity of the disorder and the non-specification of distinctive features. The analyzed group has 23 children with diagnosis of speech disorder, aged 5:0 to 7:7. The speech data were analyzed through the Distinctive Features Analysis and classified by the Percentage of Correct Consonants. One also applied the Awareness of one's own speech disorder test. The children were separated in two groups: with awareness of their own speech disorder established (more than 50% of correct identification) and without awareness of their own speech disorder established (less than 50% of correct identification). Finally, the variables of this research were submitted to analysis using descriptive and inferential statistics. The type of changed distinctive features weren't different between the groups, as well as the total of changed features and the severity disorder. However, a correlation between the severity disorder and the non-specification of distinctive features was verified, because the more severe disorders have more changes in these linguistic variables. The awareness of one's own speech disorder doesn't seem to be directly influenced by the type and by the number of changed distinctive features, neither by the speech disorder severity. Moreover, one verifies that the greater phonological disorder severity, the greater the number of changed distinctive features.

What is the role of genetic testing in movement disorders practice?

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Schneider, Susanne A; Klein, Christine

2011-08-01

Genetic testing holds many promises in movement disorders, but also pitfalls that require careful consideration for meaningful results. These include the primary indication for testing in the first place, concerns regarding the implications of symptomatic, presymptomatic, and susceptibility testing, the mutation frequency in the gene of interest, the general lack of neuroprotective treatment options for neurodegenerative movement disorders, the prognosis of the condition diagnosed, and patient confidentiality concerns. Furthermore, new technical achievements and the available technical expertise, feasibility of specific gene testing, and its coverage through a health insurance carrier should be considered. Guidelines for testing have been established by some disease societies to advise clinicians and in parallel legal regulations are being adjusted at a national and international level. We review these and other critical points and recent developments regarding genetic testing in the field of movement disorders.

Psychometric properties of Persian version of the Sustained Auditory Attention Capacity Test in children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Soltanparast, Sanaz; Jafari, Zahra; Sameni, Seyed Jalal; Salehi, Masoud

2014-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the psychometric properties (validity and reliability) of the Persian version of the Sustained Auditory Attention Capacity Test in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The Persian version of the Sustained Auditory Attention Capacity Test was constructed to assess sustained auditory attention using the method provided by Feniman and colleagues (2007). In this test, comments were provided to assess the child's attentional deficit by determining inattention and impulsiveness error, the total scores of the sustained auditory attention capacity test and attention span reduction index. In the present study for determining the validity and reliability of in both Rey Auditory Verbal Learning test and the Persian version of the Sustained Auditory Attention Capacity Test (SAACT), 46 normal children and 41 children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity (ADHD), all right-handed and aged between 7 and 11 of both genders, were evaluated. In determining convergent validity, a negative significant correlation was found between the three parts of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning test (first, fifth, and immediate recall) and all indicators of the SAACT except attention span reduction. By comparing the test scores between the normal and ADHD groups, discriminant validity analysis showed significant differences in all indicators of the test except for attention span reduction (pAttention Capacity test has good validity and reliability, that matches other reliable tests, and it can be used for the identification of children with attention deficits and if they suspected to have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Not just fun and games: applications of virtual reality in the identification and rehabilitation of cognitive disorders of the elderly.

Science.gov (United States)

Cherniack, E Paul

2011-01-01

To outline the evidence in the published medical literature suggesting the potential applications of virtual reality (VR) for the identification and rehabilitation of cognitive disorders of the elderly. Non-systematic literature review. VR, despite its more common usage by younger persons, is a potentially promising source of techniques useful in the identification and rehabilitation of cognitive disorders of the elderly. Systems employing VR can include desktop and head-mounted visual displays among other devices. Thus far, published studies have described VR-based applications in the identification and treatment of deficits in navigational skills in ambulation and driving. In addition, VR has been utilised to enhance the ability to perform activities of daily living in patients with dementia, stroke, and Parkinson's Disease. Such investigations have thus far been small, and unblinded. VR-based applications can potentially offer more versatile, comprehensive, and safer assessments of function. However, they also might be more expensive, complex and more difficult to use by elderly patients. Side effects of head-mounted visual displays include nausea and disorientation, but, have not been reported specifically in older subjects.

Particle Identification Studies with an ALICE Test TPC

CERN Document Server

Christiansen, P

2007-01-01

Using a test TPC, consisting of the ALICE TPC field cage prototype in combination with the final ALICE TPC readout and electronics, the energy loss distribution and resolution were measured for identified protons. The measurements were compared to theoretical calculations and good quantitative agreement was found when detector effects were taken into account. The implications for particle identification are discussed.

Odour recognition memory and odour identification in patients with mild and severe major depressive disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Zucco, Gesualdo M; Bollini, Fabiola

2011-12-30

Olfactory deficits, in detection, recognition and identification of odorants have been documented in ageing and in several neurodegenerative and psychiatric conditions. However, olfactory abilities in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) have been less investigated, and available studies have provided inconsistent results. The present study assessed odour recognition memory and odour identification in two groups of 12 mild MDD patients (M age 41.3, range 25-57) and 12 severe MDD patients (M age, 41.9, range 23-58) diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria and matched for age and gender to 12 healthy normal controls. The suitability of olfactory identification and recognition memory tasks as predictors of the progression of MDD was also addressed. Data analyses revealed that Severe MDD patients performed significantly worse than Mild MDD patients and Normal controls on both tasks, with these last groups not differing significantly from one another. The present outcomes are consistent with previous studies in other domains which have shown reliable, although not conclusive, impairments in cognitive function, including memory, in patients with MDD, and highlight the role of olfactory identification and recognition tasks as an important additional tool to discriminate between patients characterised by different levels of severity of MDD. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving Early Identification and Intervention for Children at Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Rotholz, David A; Kinsman, Anne M; Lacy, Kathi K; Charles, Jane

2017-02-01

To provide an example of a successful, novel statewide effort to increase early identification of young children at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using a 2-tiered screening process with enhanced quality assessment, interagency policy collaboration and coordination. The South Carolina Act Early Team (SCAET) provided focused collaboration among leaders representing state agencies, universities, health care systems, private organizations, and families to improve quality of life for children with ASD. Specific focus was on implementing policy changes and training to result in earlier identification and home-based behavioral intervention for young children at risk for ASD. Policy changes, training, and modified state agency practices were accomplished. Presumptive eligibility, on the basis of a 2-tiered screening process was implemented by BabyNet (South Carolina's Early Intervention Program) in collaboration with the lead agency for developmental disability services. There was a fivefold increase in children eligible for early intensive behavioral intervention without waiting for a diagnosis of ASD, avoiding long waits for diagnostic evaluations. Only 16 children (2.5%) were later found not to have ASD from a comprehensive evaluation. Improvements in early identification and intervention are feasible through collaborative policy change. The South Carolina Act Early Team and its key stakeholders committed to improving outcomes for this population used existing tools and methods in new ways to improve early identification of children with ASD and to make available evidence-based intervention services. This example should be replicable in other states with key stakeholders working collaboratively for the benefit of young children with ASD. Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Predictive gene testing for Huntington disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Wedderburn, S; Panegyres, P K; Andrew, S; Goldblatt, J; Liebeck, T; McGrath, F; Wiltshire, M; Pestell, C; Lee, J; Beilby, J

2013-12-01

Controversies exist around predictive testing (PT) programmes in neurodegenerative disorders. This study sets out to answer the following questions relating to Huntington disease (HD) and other neurodegenerative disorders: differences between these patients in their PT journeys, why and when individuals withdraw from PT, and decision-making processes regarding reproductive genetic testing. A case series analysis of patients having PT from the multidisciplinary Western Australian centre for PT over the past 20 years was performed using internationally recognised guidelines for predictive gene testing in neurodegenerative disorders. Of 740 at-risk patients, 518 applied for PT: 466 at risk of HD, 52 at risk of other neurodegenerative disorders - spinocerebellar ataxias, hereditary prion disease and familial Alzheimer disease. Thirteen percent withdrew from PT - 80.32% of withdrawals occurred during counselling stages. Major withdrawal reasons related to timing in the patients' lives or unknown as the patient did not disclose the reason. Thirty-eight HD individuals had reproductive genetic testing: 34 initiated prenatal testing (of which eight withdrew from the process) and four initiated pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. There was no recorded or other evidence of major psychological reactions or suicides during PT. People withdrew from PT in relation to life stages and reasons that are unknown. Our findings emphasise the importance of: (i) adherence to internationally recommended guidelines for PT; (ii) the role of the multidisciplinary team in risk minimisation; and (iii) patient selection. © 2013 The Authors; Internal Medicine Journal © 2013 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

[Measures to prevent patient identification errors in blood collection/physiological function testing utilizing a laboratory information system].

Science.gov (United States)

Shimazu, Chisato; Hoshino, Satoshi; Furukawa, Taiji

2013-08-01

We constructed an integrated personal identification workflow chart using both bar code reading and an all in-one laboratory information system. The information system not only handles test data but also the information needed for patient guidance in the laboratory department. The reception terminals at the entrance, displays for patient guidance and patient identification tools at blood-sampling booths are all controlled by the information system. The number of patient identification errors was greatly reduced by the system. However, identification errors have not been abolished in the ultrasound department. After re-evaluation of the patient identification process in this department, we recognized that the major reason for the errors came from excessive identification workflow. Ordinarily, an ultrasound test requires patient identification 3 times, because 3 different systems are required during the entire test process, i.e. ultrasound modality system, laboratory information system and a system for producing reports. We are trying to connect the 3 different systems to develop a one-time identification workflow, but it is not a simple task and has not been completed yet. Utilization of the laboratory information system is effective, but is not yet perfect for patient identification. The most fundamental procedure for patient identification is to ask a person's name even today. Everyday checks in the ordinary workflow and everyone's participation in safety-management activity are important for the prevention of patient identification errors.

Combinations of two odorants of smell identification test for screening of olfactory impairment.

Science.gov (United States)

Shiga, Hideaki; Yamamoto, Junpei; Kitamura, Miwa; Nakagawa, Hideaki; Matsubasa, Tomoko; Seo, Atsuko; Miwa, Takaki

2014-12-01

To determine whether combinations of two odorants of the Open Essence smell identification test can be used to screen for olfactory impairment in Japanese people. A total of 243 Japanese subjects (142 males, 101 females; mean age, 37.5 years; age range, 20-62 years) were enrolled in the study. The main outcome measures were the results of olfactory testing by using the full 12 odorants (condensed milk, cooking gas, curry, cypress wood (Japanese cypress, hinoki), India ink, Japanese orange (mikan), menthol, perfume, roasted garlic, rose, sweaty-smelling clothes, and wood) of the Open Essence test as well as combinations of two odorants of the Open Essence test, and the results of self-reported questionnaires addressing awareness of a smell disorder, history of sinunasal disease, self-reported nasal obstruction, and history of smoking. In screening with combinations of two odorants, the highest positive likelihood ratio (19.1) was obtained with the cypress wood and India ink odorants. All subjects correctly identified the curry odorant. Combinations of other odorants also had high positive likelihood ratios (India ink and sweaty-smelling clothes, 17.6; perfume and sweaty-smelling clothes, 14.7; cypress wood and roasted garlic, 14.1; cypress wood and rose, 13.2; cypress wood and perfume, 11.0; cypress wood and wood, 10.7). The combination of cypress wood and India ink odorants may be useful for detecting individuals with olfactory impairment among subjects who can correctly identify the curry odorant. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The limits to pride: A test of the pro-anorexia hypothesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Cornelius, Talea; Blanton, Hart

2016-01-01

Many social psychological models propose that positive self-conceptions promote self-esteem. An extreme version of this hypothesis is advanced in "pro-anorexia" communities: identifying with anorexia, in conjunction with disordered eating, can lead to higher self-esteem. The current study empirically tested this hypothesis. Results challenge the pro-anorexia hypothesis. Although those with higher levels of pro-anorexia identification trended towards higher self-esteem with increased disordered eating, this did not overcome the strong negative main effect of pro-anorexia identification. These data suggest a more effective strategy for promoting self-esteem is to encourage rejection of disordered eating and an anorexic identity.

Reducing patient identification errors related to glucose point-of-care testing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gaurav Alreja

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Patient identification (ID errors in point-of-care testing (POCT can cause test results to be transferred to the wrong patient′s chart or prevent results from being transmitted and reported. Despite the implementation of patient barcoding and ongoing operator training at our institution, patient ID errors still occur with glucose POCT. The aim of this study was to develop a solution to reduce identification errors with POCT. Materials and Methods: Glucose POCT was performed by approximately 2,400 clinical operators throughout our health system. Patients are identified by scanning in wristband barcodes or by manual data entry using portable glucose meters. Meters are docked to upload data to a database server which then transmits data to any medical record matching the financial number of the test result. With a new model, meters connect to an interface manager where the patient ID (a nine-digit account number is checked against patient registration data from admission, discharge, and transfer (ADT feeds and only matched results are transferred to the patient′s electronic medical record. With the new process, the patient ID is checked prior to testing, and testing is prevented until ID errors are resolved. Results: When averaged over a period of a month, ID errors were reduced to 3 errors/month (0.015% in comparison with 61.5 errors/month (0.319% before implementing the new meters. Conclusion: Patient ID errors may occur with glucose POCT despite patient barcoding. The verification of patient identification should ideally take place at the bedside before testing occurs so that the errors can be addressed in real time. The introduction of an ADT feed directly to glucose meters reduced patient ID errors in POCT.

[Validity of AUDIT test for detection of disorders related with alcohol consumption in women].

Science.gov (United States)

Pérula-de Torres, Luis Angel; Fernández-García, José Angel; Arias-Vega, Raquel; Muriel-Palomino, María; Márquez-Rebollo, Encarnación; Ruiz-Moral, Roger

2005-11-26

Early detection of patients with alcohol problems is important in clinical practice. The AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) questionnaire is a valid tool for this aim, especially in the male population. The objective of this study was to validate how useful is this questionnaire in females patients and to assess their test cut-off point for the diagnosis of alcohol problems in women. 414 woman were recruited in 2 health center and specialized center for addiction treatment. The AUDIT test and a semistructured interview (SCAN as gold standard) were performed to all patients. Internal consistency and criteria validity was assessed. Cronbach alpha was 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.921-0.941). When the DSM-IV was taken as reference the most useful cut-off point was 6 points, with 89.6% (95% CI, 76.11-96.02) sensitivity and 95.07% (95% CI, 92.18-96.97) specificity. When CIE-10 was taken as reference the sensitivity was 89.58% (95% CI, 76.56-96.10) and the specificity was 95.33% (95% CI, 92.48-97.17). AUDIT is a questionnaire with good psychometrics properties and is valid for detecting dependence and risk alcohol consumption in women.

TO DETERMINE THE PERSONALITY TRAITS, CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS IN BIPOLAR DISORDER PATIENTS WITH COMORBID ALCOHOL USE DISORDERS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahalya Thinaharan

2016-12-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Comorbidity of bipolar disorder and substance use disorder is common. It is difficult to treat bipolar disorder patients with comorbid alcohol use disorder since the disease course is more severe and they have greater difficulties in cognitive functions than those without alcohol use. Whether alcohol negatively affects specific cognitive functions or the deficits are more diffuse in nature is unclear. Alcoholic bipolar patients present with high scores in openness to experience and neuroticism personality traits. Personality to an extent mediates the co-occurrence of substance use in bipolar disorder. Thus, identifying these personality traits in bipolar or substance use disorder patients, will help us to prevent the co-occurrence of the second disorder. The aim of the study is to evaluate the clinical characteristics, personality traits and cognitive functions of patients with bipolar and comorbid alcohol use disorders. MATERIALS AND METHODS A sample of 100 patients, 50 with bipolar and alcohol use disorder (cases and 50 with bipolar disorder (controls attending tertiary care hospital outpatient department at Chennai was selected. Alcohol status was assessed using AUDIT (alcohol use disorder identification test and SADQ (severity of alcohol dependence questionnaire. Personality was assessed using NEO-five factor inventory. Cognition was assessed using frontal lobe assessment battery, Stroop test, DSST (digit symbol substitution test and verbal N back test. RESULTS The cases group had more number of hospitalisations and mixed episodes than control group. They also performed poorer on frontal lobe assessment battery, Stroop test and digit symbol substitution test. Duration of alcohol use was associated positively with total number of hospitalisations and number of episodes. The cases group scored significantly higher on the personality traits of neuroticism and openness to experience. CONCLUSION The study confirmed the higher

Test Anxiety and College Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Jason M.; Lindstrom, Will; Foels, Patricia A.

2014-01-01

Test anxiety was examined in college students with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Results indicated that, relative to college students without ADHD, college students with ADHD reported higher total test anxiety as well as specific aspects of test anxiety, including worry (i.e., cognitive aspects of test anxiety) and…

UPTF test instrumentation. Measurement system identification, engineering units and computed parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarkar, J.; Liebert, J.; Laeufer, R.

1992-11-01

This updated version of the previous report /1/ contains, besides additional instrumentation needed for 2D/3D Programme, the supplementary instrumentation in the inlet plenum of SG simulator and hot and cold leg of broken loop, the cold leg of intact loops and the upper plenum to meet the requirements (Test Phase A) of the UPTF Programme, TRAM, sponsored by the Federal Minister of Research and Technology (BMFT) of the Federal Republic of Germany. For understanding, the derivation and the description of the identification codes for the entire conventional and advanced measurement systems classifying the function, and the equipment unit, key, as adopted in the conventional power plants, have been included. Amendments have also been made to the appendices. In particular, the list of measurement systems covering the measurement identification code, instrument, measured quantity, measuring range, band width, uncertainty and sensor location has been updated and extended to include the supplementary instrumentation. Beyond these amendments, the uncertainties of measurements have been precisely specified. The measurement identification codes which also stand for the identification of the corresponding measured quantities in engineering units and the identification codes derived therefrom for the computed parameters have been adequately detailed. (orig.)

Substance use disorders in adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a 4-year follow-up study.

Science.gov (United States)

Groenman, Annabeth P; Oosterlaan, Jaap; Rommelse, Nanda; Franke, Barbara; Roeyers, Herbert; Oades, Robert D; Sergeant, Joseph A; Buitelaar, Jan K; Faraone, Stephen V

2013-08-01

To examine the relationship between a childhood diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with or without oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)/conduct disorder (CD) and the development of later alcohol/drug use disorder [psychoactive substance use disorder (PSUD)] and nicotine dependence in a large European sample of ADHD probands, their siblings and healthy control subjects. Subjects (n = 1017) were participants in the Belgian, Dutch and German part of the International Multicenter ADHD Genetics (IMAGE) study. IMAGE families were identified through ADHD probands aged 5-17 years attending out-patient clinics, and control subjects from the same geographic areas. After a follow-up period (mean: 4.4 years) this subsample was re-assessed at a mean age of 16.4 years. PSUD and nicotine dependence were assessed using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Drug Abuse Screening Test and Fagerström test for Nicotine Dependence. The ADHD sample was at higher risk of developing PSUD [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.05-3.00] and nicotine dependence (HR = 8.61, 95% CI = 2.44-30.34) than healthy controls. The rates of these disorders were highest for ADHD youth who also had CD, but could not be accounted for by this comorbidity. We did not find an increased risk of developing PSUD (HR = 1.18, 95% CI = 0.62-2.27) or nicotine dependence (HR = 1.89, 95% CI = 0.46-7.77) among unaffected siblings of ADHD youth. A childhood diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a risk factor for psychoactive substance use disorder and nicotine dependence in adolescence and comorbid conduct disorder, but not oppositional defiant disorder, further increases the risk of developing psychoactive substance use disorder and nicotine dependence. © 2013 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Rapid testing and identification of actuator using dSPACE real-time emulator

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Xie, Daocheng; Wang, Zhongwei; Zeng, Qinghua

2011-10-01

To solve the problem of model identification of actuator in control system design of aerocraft, testing system based on dSPACE emulator is established, sending testing signal and receiving feedback voltage are realized using dSPACE interactive cards, communication between signal generating equipment and feedback voltage acquisition equipment is synchronized. This paper introduces the hardware architecture and key technologies of the simulation system. Constructing, downloading and calculating of the testing model is finished using dSPACE emulator, D/A transfer of testing signal is realized using DS2103 card, DS2002 card transfer the feedback voltage to digital value. Filtering module is added to the signal acquisition, for reduction of noise interference in the A/D channel. Precision of time and voltage is improved by setting acquisition period 1ms. The data gathered is recorded and displayed with Controldesk tools. The response of four actuators under different frequency are tested, frequency-domain analysis is done using least square method, the model of actuator is identified, simulation data fits well with real response of the actuator. The testing system created with dSPACE emulator satisfies the rapid testing and identification of actuator.

Development and Validation of a Decision Tool for Early Identification of Adult Patients with Severe and Complex Eating Disorder Psychopathology in Need of Highly Specialized Care.

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Dingemans, Alexandra E; Goorden, Maartje; Lötters, Freek J B; Bouwmans, Clazien; Danner, Unna N; van Elburg, Annemarie A; van Furth, Eric F; Hakkaart-van Roijen, Leona

2017-09-01

Patients with complex and severe eating disorders often receive a number of ineffective or/and insufficient treatments. Direct referral of these patients to highly specialized tertiary treatment facilities in an earlier stage of the disorder is likely to be more (cost)-effective. The aim of the study was to develop a decision tool that aids clinicians in early identification of these patients. After identification of criteria that were indicative of severity and complexity of eating disorder psychopathology by means of a systematic review of literature and consultation of a focus group, a Delphi method was applied to obtain consensus from experts on the list of relevant criteria. Finally, the decision tool was validated in clinical practice, and cut-off criteria were established. The tool demonstrated good feasibility and validity to identify patients for highly specialized tertiary care. The final decision tool consisted of five criteria that can easily be implemented in clinical practice. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Continuous performance test in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder and tic disorders: the role of sustained attention.

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Lucke, Ilse M; Lin, Charlotte; Conteh, Fatmata; Federline, Amanda; Sung, Huyngmo; Specht, Matthew; Grados, Marco A

2015-10-01

Pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and tic disorders (TD) are often associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In order to clarify the role of attention and inhibitory control in pediatric OCD and TD, a continuous performance test (CPT) was administered to a cohort of children and adolescents with OCD alone, TD alone, and OCD+TD. A clinical cohort of 48 children and adolescents with OCD alone (n=20), TD alone (n=15), or OCD+TD (n=13) was interviewed clinically and administered the Conners Continuous Performance Test II (CPT-II). The Conners CPT-II is a 14-minute normed computerized test consisting of 6 blocks. It taps into attention, inhibitory control, and sustained attention cognitive domains. Key parameters include errors of omission (distractability), commission (inhibitory control), and variable responding over time (sustained attention). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) criteria were applied in a best-estimate process to diagnose OCD, TD, ADHD, and anxiety disorders. Children with OCD+TD had more errors of omission (p=0.03), and more hit RT block change (p=0.003) and hit SE block change (p=0.02) than subjects with OCD alone and TD alone. These deficits in sustained attention were associated with younger age and hoarding tendencies. A clinical diagnosis of ADHD in the OCD+TD group also determined worse sustained attention. A deficit in sustained attention, a core marker of ADHD, is also a marker of OCD+TD, compared to OCD alone and TD alone. Biological correlates of sustained attention may serve to uncover the pathophysiology of OCD and TD through genetic and imaging studies.

Known-Groups and Concurrent Validity of the Mandarin Tone Identification Test (MTIT.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shufeng Zhu

Full Text Available The Mandarin Tone Identification Test (MTIT is a new test designed to assess the tone identification abilities of children with hearing impairment (HI. Evidence for reliability and sensitivity has been reported. The present study aimed to evaluate the known-groups and concurrent validity of the MTIT.The MTIT and Mandarin Pediatric Speech Intelligibility test (MPSI were administered in quiet and in noise conditions. The known-groups validity was evaluated by comparing the performance of the MTIT on children with two different levels of HI. The MPSI was included to evaluate the concurrent validity of the MTIT.81 children with HI were recruited in the present study. They were Mandarin-speaking children with profound HI (mean age = 9; 0, n = 41 and with moderate to severe HI (mean age = 8; 9, n = 40.Scores on the MTIT differed between the two groups with different hearing levels suggesting good known-groups validity. A strong relationship between tone and sentence perception both in quiet and in noise provided preliminary evidence for concurrent validity.The present study confirmed that the MTIT has good known-groups validity and provided preliminary evidence for concurrent validity. The MTIT could be used to evaluate tone identification ability in children with HI with confidence.

Identification of medically relevant Nocardia species with an abbreviated battery of tests.

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Kiska, Deanna L; Hicks, Karen; Pettit, David J

2002-04-01

Identification of Nocardia to the species level is useful for predicting antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and defining the pathogenicity and geographic distribution of these organisms. We sought to develop an identification method which was accurate, timely, and employed tests which would be readily available in most clinical laboratories. We evaluated the API 20C AUX yeast identification system as well as several biochemical tests and Kirby-Bauer susceptibility patterns for the identification of 75 isolates encompassing the 8 medically relevant Nocardia species. There were few biochemical reactions that were sufficiently unique for species identification; of note, N. nova were positive for arylsulfatase, N. farcinica were positive for opacification of Middlebrook 7H11 agar, and N. brasiliensis and N. pseudobrasiliensis were the only species capable of liquefying gelatin. API 20C sugar assimilation patterns were unique for N. transvalensis, N. asteroides IV, and N. brevicatena. There was overlap among the assimilation patterns for the other species. Species-specific patterns of susceptibility to gentamicin, tobramycin, amikacin, and erythromycin were obtained for N. nova, N. farcinica, and N. brevicatena, while there was overlap among the susceptibility patterns for the other isolates. No single method could identify all Nocardia isolates to the species level; therefore, a combination of methods was necessary. An algorithm utilizing antibiotic susceptibility patterns, citrate utilization, acetamide utilization, and assimilation of inositol and adonitol accurately identified all isolates. The algorithm was expanded to include infrequent drug susceptibility patterns which have been reported in the literature but which were not seen in this study.

Test-retest reliability of schizoaffective disorder compared with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and unipolar depression--a systematic review and meta-analysis.

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Santelmann, Hanno; Franklin, Jeremy; Bußhoff, Jana; Baethge, Christopher

2015-11-01

Schizoaffective disorder is a frequent diagnosis, and its reliability is subject to ongoing discussion. We compared the diagnostic reliability of schizoaffective disorder with its main differential diagnoses. We systematically searched Medline, Embase, and PsycInfo for all studies on the test-retest reliability of the diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder as compared with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and unipolar depression. We used meta-analytic methods to describe and compare Cohen's kappa as well as positive and negative agreement. In addition, multiple pre-specified and post hoc subgroup and sensitivity analyses were carried out. Out of 4,415 studies screened, 49 studies were included. Test-retest reliability of schizoaffective disorder was consistently lower than that of schizophrenia (in 39 out of 42 studies), bipolar disorder (27/33), and unipolar depression (29/35). The mean difference in kappa between schizoaffective disorder and the other diagnoses was approximately 0.2, and mean Cohen's kappa for schizoaffective disorder was 0.50 (95% confidence interval: 0.40-0.59). While findings were unequivocal and homogeneous for schizoaffective disorder's diagnostic reliability relative to its three main differential diagnoses (dichotomous: smaller versus larger), heterogeneity was substantial for continuous measures, even after subgroup and sensitivity analyses. In clinical practice and research, schizoaffective disorder's comparatively low diagnostic reliability should lead to increased efforts to correctly diagnose the disorder. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Development of a blood-based molecular biomarker test for identification of schizophrenia before disease onset

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M.K. Chan (Man K.); M.-O. Krebs (M-O); D. Cox; P.C. Guest (Paul); R.H. Yolken; H. Rahmoune (Hassan); M. Rothermundt (Matthias); J. Steiner (Johann); F.M. Leweke (Marcus); N.J.M. van Beveren (Nico); D. Niebuhr (David); N. Weber (Natalya); D. Cowan (David); P. Suarez-Pinilla; B. Crespo-Facorro (Benedicto); C. Mam-Lam-Fook; J. Bourgin; R.J. Wenstrup (Richard); R.R. Kaldate; J.D. Cooper (Jason); S. Bahn (Sabine)

2015-01-01

markdownabstractRecent research efforts have progressively shifted towards preventative psychiatry and prognostic identification of individuals before disease onset. We describe the development of a serum biomarker test for the identification of individuals at risk of developing schizophrenia based

Minnesota Impulse Disorders Interview (MIDI): Validation of a structured diagnostic clinical interview for impulse control disorders in an enriched community sample.

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Chamberlain, Samuel R; Grant, Jon E

2018-05-08

Disorders of impulsivity are common, functionally impairing, and highly relevant across different clinical and research settings. Few structured clinical interviews for the identification and diagnosis of impulse control disorders exist, and none have been validated in a community sample in terms of psychometric properties. The Minnesota Impulse control disorders Interview (MIDI v2.0) was administered to an enriched sample of 293 non-treatment seeking adults aged 18-35 years, recruited using media advertisements in two large US cities. In addition to the MIDI, participants undertook extended clinical interview for other mental disorders, the Barratt impulsiveness questionnaire, and the Padua obsessive-compulsive inventory. The psychometric properties of the MIDI were characterized. In logistic regression, the MIDI showed good concurrent validity against the reference measures (versus gambling disorder interview, p  0.05). Test re-test reliability was excellent (0.95). The MIDI has good psychometric properties and thus may be a valuable interview tool for clinical and research studies involving impulse control disorders. Further research is needed to better understanding the optimal diagnostic classification and neurobiology of these neglected disorders. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Identification of reduced-order model for an aeroelastic system from flutter test data

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Wei Tang

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Recently, flutter active control using linear parameter varying (LPV framework has attracted a lot of attention. LPV control synthesis usually generates controllers that are at least of the same order as the aeroelastic models. Therefore, the reduced-order model is required by synthesis for avoidance of large computation cost and high-order controller. This paper proposes a new procedure for generation of accurate reduced-order linear time-invariant (LTI models by using system identification from flutter testing data. The proposed approach is in two steps. The well-known poly-reference least squares complex frequency (p-LSCF algorithm is firstly employed for modal parameter identification from frequency response measurement. After parameter identification, the dominant physical modes are determined by clear stabilization diagrams and clustering technique. In the second step, with prior knowledge of physical poles, the improved frequency-domain maximum likelihood (ML estimator is presented for building accurate reduced-order model. Before ML estimation, an improved subspace identification considering the poles constraint is also proposed for initializing the iterative procedure. Finally, the performance of the proposed procedure is validated by real flight flutter test data.

Test-retest reliability of the proposed DSM-5 eating disorder diagnostic criteria

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Sysko, Robyn; Roberto, Christina A.; Barnes, Rachel D.; Grilo, Carlos M.; Attia, Evelyn; Walsh, B. Timothy

2012-01-01

The proposed DSM-5 classification scheme for eating disorders includes both major and minor changes to the existing DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. It is not known what effect these modifications will have on the ability to make reliable diagnoses. Two studies were conducted to evaluate the short-term test-retest reliability of the proposed DSM-5 eating disorder diagnoses: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and feeding and eating conditions not elsewhere classified. Participants completed two independent telephone interviews with research assessors (n=70 Study 1; n=55 Study 2). Fair to substantial agreements (κ= 0.80 and 0.54) were observed across eating disorder diagnoses in Study 1 and Study 2, respectively. Acceptable rates of agreement were identified for the individual eating disorder diagnoses, including DSM-5 anorexia nervosa (κ’s of 0.81 to 0.97), bulimia nervosa (κ=0.84), binge eating disorder (κ’s of 0.75 and 0.61), and feeding and eating disorders not elsewhere classified (κ’s of 0.70 and 0.46). Further, improved short-term test-retest reliability was noted when using the DSM-5, in comparison to DSM-IV, criteria for binge eating disorder. Thus, these studies found that trained interviewers can reliably diagnose eating disorders using the proposed DSM-5 criteria; however, additional data from general practice settings and community samples are needed. PMID:22401974

[Contributions of cortisol suppression tests to understanding of psychiatric disorders: a narrative review of literature].

Science.gov (United States)

Tajima-Pozo, Kazuhiro; Montes-Montero, Ana; Güemes, Itziar; González-Vives, Sara; Díaz-Marsá, Marina; Carrasco, José Luis

2013-01-01

Activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis had been studied for the past half century, when some researchers noted that some patients with Cushing's syndrome and severe mood disorders had high baseline cortisol levels, which resulted in an inhibited response in the 1mg dexamethasone suppression test. Altered dexamethasone suppression test results were subsequently found in many psychiatric diseases, including anorexia nervosa, obsessive-compulsive disorder, degenerative dementia, bipolar disorders, and schizophrenia. The relationship between high baseline cortisol levels and stress has also been studied. Some researches on the genesis of borderline personality disorder focused on traumatic childhood backgrounds. Other investigations aimed at elucidating the relationship between traumatic backgrounds and some psychiatric disorders noted that patients with post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder showed an enhanced cortisol suppression with low cortisol doses (0.5 mg). Recent studies showed that use of an ultra-low dose of cortisol during the dexamethasone suppression test may be helpful for detecting disorders with hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Recent advances in neuroimaging support the existence of hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in patients with borderline personality disorder, relating a decreased pituitary gland volume to major traumatic backgrounds and suicidal attempts. The purpose of this paper is to make a narrative review of research using dexamethasone suppression test in psychiatric disorders, in order to ascertain its value as a supplemental diagnostic test or as a prognostic marker. Copyright © 2012 SEEN. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Testing a potential alternative to traditional identification procedures: Reaction time-based concealed information test does not work for lineups with cooperative witnesses.

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Sauerland, Melanie; Wolfs, Andrea C F; Crans, Samantha; Verschuere, Bruno

2017-11-27

Direct eyewitness identification is widely used, but prone to error. We tested the validity of indirect eyewitness identification decisions using the reaction time-based concealed information test (CIT) for assessing cooperative eyewitnesses' face memory as an alternative to traditional lineup procedures. In a series of five experiments, a total of 401 mock eyewitnesses watched one of 11 different stimulus events that depicted a breach of law. Eyewitness identifications in the CIT were derived from longer reaction times as compared to well-matched foil faces not encountered before. Across the five experiments, the weighted mean effect size d was 0.14 (95% CI 0.08-0.19). The reaction time-based CIT seems unsuited for testing cooperative eyewitnesses' memory for faces. The careful matching of the faces required for a fair lineup or the lack of intent to deceive may have hampered the diagnosticity of the reaction time-based CIT.

Benchmarks for the Dichotic Sentence Identification test in Brazilian Portuguese for ear and age.

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Andrade, Adriana Neves de; Gil, Daniela; Iorio, Maria Cecilia Martinelli

2015-01-01

Dichotic listening tests should be used in local languages and adapted for the population. Standardize the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Dichotic Sentence Identification test in normal listeners, comparing the performance for age and ear. This prospective study included 200 normal listeners divided into four groups according to age: 13-19 years (GI), 20-29 years (GII), 30-39 years (GIII), and 40-49 years (GIV). The Dichotic Sentence Identification was applied in four stages: training, binaural integration and directed sound from right and left. Better results for the right ear were observed in the stages of binaural integration in all assessed groups. There was a negative correlation between age and percentage of correct responses in both ears for free report and training. The worst performance in all stages of the test was observed for the age group 40-49 years old. Reference values for the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Dichotic Sentence Identification test in normal listeners aged 13-49 years were established according to age, ear, and test stage; they should be used as benchmarks when evaluating individuals with these characteristics. Copyright © 2015 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

The 40-item Monell Extended Sniffin' Sticks Identification Test (MONEX-40)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Freiherr, J.; Gordon, A.R.; Alden, E.C.; Ponting, A.L.; Hernandez, M.; Boesveldt, S.; Lundstrom, J.N.

2012-01-01

Background Most existing olfactory identification (ID) tests have the primary aim of diagnosing clinical olfactory dysfunction, thereby rendering them sub-optimal for experimental settings where the aim is to detect differences in healthy subjects’ odor ID abilities. Materials and methods We have

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing for predicting sports performance and talent identification: Consensus statement

Science.gov (United States)

Webborn, Nick; Williams, Alun; McNamee, Mike; Bouchard, Claude; Pitsiladis, Yannis; Ahmetov, Ildus; Ashley, Euan; Byrne, Nuala; Camporesi, Silvia; Collins, Malcolm; Dijkstra, Paul; Eynon, Nir; Fuku, Noriyuki; Garton, Fleur C; Hoppe, Nils; Holm, Søren; Kaye, Jane; Klissouras, Vassilis; Lucia, Alejandro; Maase, Kamiel; Moran, Colin; North, Kathryn N; Pigozzi, Fabio; Wang, Guan

2015-01-01

The general consensus among sport and exercise genetics researchers is that genetic tests have no role to play in talent identification or the individualised prescription of training to maximise performance. Despite the lack of evidence, recent years have witnessed the rise of an emerging market of direct-to-consumer marketing (DTC) tests that claim to be able to identify children's athletic talents. Targeted consumers include mainly coaches and parents. There is concern among the scientific community that the current level of knowledge is being misrepresented for commercial purposes. There remains a lack of universally accepted guidelines and legislation for DTC testing in relation to all forms of genetic testing and not just for talent identification. There is concern over the lack of clarity of information over which specific genes or variants are being tested and the almost universal lack of appropriate genetic counselling for the interpretation of the genetic data to consumers. Furthermore independent studies have identified issues relating to quality control by DTC laboratories with different results being reported from samples from the same individual. Consequently, in the current state of knowledge, no child or young athlete should be exposed to DTC genetic testing to define or alter training or for talent identification aimed at selecting gifted children or adolescents. Large scale collaborative projects, may help to develop a stronger scientific foundation on these issues in the future. PMID:26582191

O teste das pirâmides coloridas e o transtorno do pânico The colour pyramid test and the panic disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Elisa de Villemor-Amaral

2004-08-01

Full Text Available Esse estudo visa verificar evidências de validade do Teste das Pirâmides Coloridas de Pfister para diagnóstico de transtorno de pânico. Compuseram a amostra desse estudo 15 pacientes diagnosticados pela SCID como tendo um episódio de transtorno dopânico. Seus resultados foram comparados com os obtidos com um grupo de 109 indivíduos não-pacientes que compõem uma amostra normativa.Os dados mais significativos do ponto de vista estatístico, na comparação com o grupo de não-pacientes, foram relativos ao aumento de formações simétricas e da porcentagem do azul. As características atribuídas a esses sinais condizem com os dados encontrados na literatura que descrevem a insegurança, inibição, constrição e rompimento da relação consigo mesmo como aspectos importantes associados ao transtorno do pânico.The aim of this study was to verify the validity of the Pfister’s Colour Pyramid Test in the identification of panic disorder. The sample was composed by 15 patients in psychiatric treatment for having at least one crisis of panic disorder, selected according to the SCID criteria, and 109 non-patients who had never sought for psychological or psychiatric assistance. The results show that the two groups could be distinguished by the using of blue and by the symmetric configurations, both more frequent among the patients, in a significant way. The lack of security, the inhibition and constriction are typical signs and correspond to the panic symptoms described on literature

Investigation of Personality Disordes and Personality Traits in Men with Gender Identity Disorder

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Nahid Noorian

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigation of personality disorders and personality traits in men who have gender identity disorder (GID. Identification of personality disorders can be useful for enhancement of the quality of help to the patients. Materials & Methods: This analytical and cross-sectional study was a comparative and case – control research. 40 men with gender identity disorder were selected by convenient sampling from individuals who have been referred to Tehran Navab Safavi welfare center. Also, 40 available individuals who have no any diagnostic criteria about gender identity disorder in DSM-IV-TR and worked in Islamic Azad University (Tehran Sciences and Researches Unit were selected as control group and matched with patients. Personality disorders and those frequencies were evaluated with Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II. Data were analyzed using by Chi-square and Independent T tests. Results: The results showed that gender identity disorder patients get higher scores as compared to control group in scales “Dependent” (P=0/038, “Histrionic” (P<0/001, “Antisocial” (P=0/017, “Passive – aggressive” (P=0/007, “Borderline” (P<0/001 and “Paranoid” (P=0/021 and their difference was significant. Conclusion: Generally, the results of this study showed persons who have gender identity disorder also have some symptoms of personality disorders more than normal people.

Modal Identification of A Tested Steel Frame using Linear ARX Model Structure

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Yavuz Kaya

2009-07-01

Full Text Available This study contains the identification of modal dynamic properties of a 3-story large-scale steel test frame structure through shaking table measurements. Shaking table test is carried out to estimate the modal properties of the test frame such as natural frequencies, damping ratios and mode shapes. Among many different model structures, ARX (Auto Recursive Exogenous model structure is used for modal identification of the frame structure system. The unknown parameters in the obtained ARX model structure are estimated by Least-Square method by minimizing the AIC criteria with the help of a program coded in advanced computing software MATLAB®. The adopted model structure is then tested out in time domain to verify the validity of the model with the selected model parameters. Then the modal characteristics of test frame and the story stiffness are estimated using the white noise shakings. An attempt is done to determine the change of modal characteristics and the story stiffness of test frame according to the velocity, which the test frame structure experienced during the shaking schedule and also during the input shaking of El Centro 1940 NS. Results shows that there is an increase in damping ratio and a decrease in both story stiffness and natural frequency for all modes when the damage forms at cementitious device and the test frame structure itself during the shaking schedule.

Sexual Abuse and Eating Disorders: A Test of a Conceptual Model.

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Tripp, Margaret M.; Petrie, Trent A.

2001-01-01

Tested a model that hypothesized an indirect relationship between sexual abuse and eating disorders, with the effects of sexual abuse being mediated through bodily shame and body disparagement. Surveys of female undergraduate students indicated that 60 percent had been sexually abused, 8 percent had diagnosable eating disorders, and 72.7 percent…

Psychological characteristics of eating disorders as evidenced by the combined administration of questionnaires and two projective methods: the Tree Drawing Test (Baum Test) and the Sentence Completion Test.

Science.gov (United States)

Mizuta, Ichiro; Inoue, Yoichi; Fukunaga, Tomoko; Ishi, Ryohei; Ogawa, Asao; Takeda, Masatoshi

2002-02-01

The objective of this study is to examine psychological/psychopathological characteristics of eating disorders and their subtypes through a combined administration of questionnaires and projective tests. Three questionnaires (Eating Disorder Inventory - 2, Social Adaptation Scale, Southern California University Eating Disorder Inventory - Revised) and two projective tests (the Tree Drawing Test [TDT, Baum Test], and the Sentence Completion Test [SCT]) were administered to 126 female patients between the ages of 15 and 30 years, with eating disorders according to DSM-IV criteria at our outpatient clinic, and to 54 sex- and age-matched control subjects. The purging subtypes of eating disorders (anorexia nervosa - binge-eating/purging type [ANBP] and bulimia nervosa - purging type [BNP]) were clearly differentiated from the controls, both by the questionnaires and the projective tests. Compared with the controls, ANBP/BNP showed more problematic profiles across the three questionnaires, drew smaller and poorer trees in TDT to a more left location on the drawing paper, and gave fewer positive, and more negative responses in SCT. In contrast, few significant differences were found between anorexia nervosa- restricting type (ANR) and the controls, and between ANBP and BNP. As a trend, however, ANR was consistently located between the controls and ANBP/BNP across the whole questionnaires and projective tests.

Impact of presymptomatic genetic testing for hereditary ataxia and neuromuscular disorders.

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Smith, Corrine O; Lipe, Hillary P; Bird, Thomas D

2004-06-01

With the exception of Huntington disease, the psychological and psychosocial impact of DNA testing for neurogenetic disorders has not been well studied. To evaluate the psychosocial impact of genetic testing for autosomal dominant forms of hereditary ataxia and neuromuscular disorders. Patients Fifty subjects at risk for autosomal dominant forms of spinocerebellar ataxia (n = 11), muscular dystrophy (n = 28), and hereditary neuropathy (n = 12). A prospective, descriptive, observational study in a university setting of individuals who underwent genetic counseling and DNA testing. Participants completed 3 questionnaires before testing and at regular intervals after testing. The questionnaire set included the Revised Impact of Event Scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, demographic information, and an assessment of attitudes and feelings about genetic testing. Thirty-nine subjects (78%) completed 6 months to 5 years of posttest follow-up. Common reasons for pursuing genetic testing were to provide an explanation for symptoms, emotional relief, and information for future planning. Thirty-four (68%) had positive and 16 (32%) had negative genetic results. In those with a positive result, 26 (76%) had nonspecific signs or symptoms of the relevant disorder. Forty-two participants (84%) felt genetic testing was beneficial. Groups with positive and negative test results coped well with results. However, 13 subjects (10 with positive and 3 with negative results) reported elevated anxiety levels, and 3 (1 with positive and 2 with negative results) expressed feelings of depression during the follow-up period. The test result was not predictive of anxiety or depression. Most individuals find neurogenetic testing to be beneficial, regardless of the result. Anxiety or depression may persist in some persons with positive or negative test results. Testing can have a demonstrable impact on family planning and interpersonal relationships. Further studies are needed to

Test-retest reliability of the Danish Adult Reading Test in patients with comorbid psychosis and cannabis-use disorder

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjorthøj, Carsten Rygaard; Vesterager, Lone; Nordentoft, Merete

2013-01-01

Background: The New Adult Reading Test is a common instrument for assessing pre-morbid IQ for patients with, for instance, schizophrenia. However, test-retest reliability has not been established for patients dually diagnosed with psychosis and substance use disorder. Furthermore, test......-retest reliability of the Danish adaptation has never been established in any population. Aims: To determine the test-retest reliability of the Danish Adult Reading Test (DART) (adapted from the National Adult Reading Test, NART) for patients dually diagnosed with psychosis and cannabis-use disorder. Methods......: This was a secondary analysis of the CapOpus randomized trial. As part of the trial, 103 patients were randomized, and completed the DART up to three times. Pearson's r and pairwise t-tests were calculated. Results: DART score was independent of randomization, cannabis-use frequency and psychopathology. Scores...

Comparison of five tests for identification of Staphylococcus aureus from clinical samples

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A. Luijendijk (Ad); A.F. van Belkum (Alex); J.A.J.W. Kluytmans (Jan); H.A. Verbrugh (Henri)

1996-01-01

textabstractFive different laboratory tests for the identification of Staphylococcus aureus were compared. Analyses of 271 presumptive S. aureus strains, supplemented with 59 well-defined methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates, were performed. Only the

Predictability of physiological testing and the role of maturation in talent identification for adolescent team sports.

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Pearson, D T; Naughton, G A; Torode, M

2006-08-01

Entrepreneurial marketing of sport increases demands on sport development officers to identify talented individuals for specialist development at the youngest possible age. Talent identification results in the streamlining of resources to produce optimal returns from a sports investment. However, the process of talent identification for team sports is complex and success prediction is imperfect. The aim of this review is to describe existing practices in physiological tests used for talent identification in team sports and discuss the impact of maturity-related differences on the long term outcomes particularly for male participants. Maturation is a major confounding variable in talent identification during adolescence. A myriad of hormonal changes during puberty results in physical and physiological characteristics important for sporting performance. Significant changes during puberty make the prediction of adult performance difficult from adolescent data. Furthermore, for talent identification programs to succeed, valid and reliable testing procedures must be accepted and implemented in a range of performance-related categories. Limited success in scientifically based talent identification is evident in a range of team sports. Genetic advances challenge the ethics of talent identification in adolescent sport. However, the environment remains a significant component of success prediction in sport. Considerations for supporting talented young male athletes are discussed.

A method for crack profiles identification in eddy current testing by the multi-directional scan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kojima, Fumio; Ikeda, Takuya; Nguyen, Doung

2006-01-01

This paper is concerned with a method for identification of crack shape in conducting materials. Multi-directional scanning strategies using Eddy Current Testing is performed for sizing complex natural crackings. Two dimensional measurements by means of multi-directional scan are used in a output least square identifications. (author)

Low specificity and sensitivity of smell identification testing for the diagnosis of Parkinson?s disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mayela Rodríguez-Violante

Full Text Available Objective: The aim of this study is to determine if the University of Pennsylvania’s Smell Identification Test (UPSIT is an accurate diagnostic tool for olfactory dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease (PD. Method: We included 138 non-demented PD subjects and 175 control subjects matched by gender. Smell identification was tested using UPSIT. Results: The mean number of UPSIT items correctly identified by controls was 27.52±5.88; the mean score for PD subjects was 19.66±6.08 (p=<0.001. UPSIT sensitivity was 79.7% with a specificity of 68.5% using a cut-off score of ≤25. The overall accuracy for the diagnosis of PD was of 75.3%. Conclusion: UPSIT accuracy and specificity were lower than what has been previously reported. Our data demonstrates that 17.5% of items of the UPSIT were not well identified by healthy controls. Further research of the identification of a truly cross-cultural test is warranted.

Disorder Identification in Hysteresis Data: Recognition Analysis of the Random-Bond-Random-Field Ising Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ovchinnikov, O. S.; Jesse, S.; Kalinin, S. V.; Bintacchit, P.; Trolier-McKinstry, S.

2009-01-01

An approach for the direct identification of disorder type and strength in physical systems based on recognition analysis of hysteresis loop shape is developed. A large number of theoretical examples uniformly distributed in the parameter space of the system is generated and is decorrelated using principal component analysis (PCA). The PCA components are used to train a feed-forward neural network using the model parameters as targets. The trained network is used to analyze hysteresis loops for the investigated system. The approach is demonstrated using a 2D random-bond-random-field Ising model, and polarization switching in polycrystalline ferroelectric capacitors.

Validation of the Arabic Version of the Internet Gaming Disorder-20 Test.

Science.gov (United States)

Hawi, Nazir S; Samaha, Maya

2017-04-01

In recent years, researchers have been trying to shed light on gaming addiction and its association with different psychiatric disorders and psychological determinants. The latest edition version of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) included in its Section 3 Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) as a condition for further empirical study and proposed nine criteria for the diagnosis of IGD. The 20-item Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD-20) Test was developed as a valid and reliable tool to assess gaming addiction based on the nine criteria set by the DSM-5. The aim of this study is to validate an Arabic version of the IGD-20 Test. The Arabic version of IGD-20 will not only help in identifying Arabic-speaking pathological gamers but also stimulate cross-cultural studies that could contribute to an area in need of more research for insight and treatment. After a process of translation and back-translation and with the participation of a sizable sample of Arabic-speaking adolescents, the present study conducted a psychometric validation of the IGD-20 Test. Our confirmatory factor analysis showed the validity of the Arabic version of the IGD-20 Test. The one-factor model of the Arabic IGD-20 Test had very good psychometric properties, and it fitted the sample data extremely well. In addition, correlation analysis between the IGD-20 Test and the daily duration on weekdays and weekends gameplay revealed significant positive relationships that warranted a criterion-related validation. Thus, the Arabic version of the IGD-20 Test is a valid and reliable measure of IGD among Arabic-speaking populations.

Comorbid Social Anxiety Disorder in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Maddox, Brenna B.; White, Susan W.

2015-01-01

Social anxiety symptoms are common among cognitively unimpaired youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Few studies have investigated the co-occurrence of social anxiety disorder (SAD) in adults with ASD, although identification may aid access to effective treatments and inform our scientific efforts to parse heterogeneity. In this preliminary…

Identificação de cultivares de trigo pelo teste de fenol Cultivars identification of wheat by phenol test

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Nilson Lemos de Menezes

1995-01-01

Full Text Available O teste de fenol é recomendado para a identificação de cultivares de trigo em laboratório e se baseia na reação de compostos presentes no pericarpo das sementes. Devido à reação constante para cada cultivar, o teste serve para caracterização rápida e fácil de materiais com reações diferentes. No presente trabalho, com o objetivo de facilitar a identificação varietal em trigo, determinou-se a reação ao fenol de 42 cultivares, que estiveram ou estão em recomendação no Brasil.The phenol test is recommended for wheat cultivar identification and is based on the reaction of compounds present in the seeds pericarp. Due to the constant reaction for each cultivar, the test may be used for a rapid and easy characterization of different reactions materiais. In this essay, the phenol reaction was determined in 42 brazilian wheat varieties aiming to facilitate its identification.

Study on Identification of Material Model Parameters from Compact Tension Test on Concrete Specimens

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Hokes, Filip; Kral, Petr; Husek, Martin; Kala, Jiri

2017-10-01

Identification of a concrete material model parameters using optimization is based on a calculation of a difference between experimentally measured and numerically obtained data. Measure of the difference can be formulated via root mean squared error that is often used for determination of accuracy of a mathematical model in the field of meteorology or demography. The quality of the identified parameters is, however, determined not only by right choice of an objective function but also by the source experimental data. One of the possible way is to use load-displacement curves from three-point bending tests that were performed on concrete specimens. This option shows the significance of modulus of elasticity, tensile strength and specific fracture energy. Another possible option is to use experimental data from compact tension test. It is clear that the response in the second type of test is also dependent on the above mentioned material parameters. The question is whether the parameters identified within three-point bending test and within compact tension test will reach the same values. The presented article brings the numerical study of inverse identification of material model parameters from experimental data measured during compact tension tests. The article also presents utilization of the modified sensitivity analysis that calculates the sensitivity of the material model parameters for different parts of loading curve. The main goal of the article is to describe the process of inverse identification of parameters for plasticity-based material model of concrete and prepare data for future comparison with identified values of the material model parameters from different type of fracture tests.

Specific comorbidity between bulimia nervosa and personality disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Carroll, J M; Touyz, S W; Beumont, P J

1996-03-01

The present study investigates the comorbidity between bulimia nervosa (BN) and the entire range of American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd rev. ed. (DSM-III-R) personality disorders and controls for the presence of coexisting depression. The Personality Disorders Examination (PDE), a structured interview that encompasses all 13 (provisional) DSM-III-R personality disorders, was administered to three groups of subjects: depressed BN patients (n = 15), nondepressed BN patients (n = 15), and nonpsychiatric controls (n = 15). The BN patients were referrals to a dieting disorder unit affiliated with the University of Sydney. They all met DSM-III-R criteria and all had body mass indexes (BMIs) greater than 19. The nonpsychiatric control group were recruited from an undergraduate psychology course. All subjects were given the Bulimic Investigatory Test, Edinburgh (BITE), the Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2), the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), and the PDE. 46.7% of depressed BN patients met the criteria for at least one Axis II diagnosis, as assessed by the PDE, and 33.3% of nondepressed BN patients received such a diagnosis, whereas only 6.7% of nonpsychiatric control subjects met this criterion (p personality disorders and BN that cannot be attributed to the confounding influence of coexisting depression. This finding enables the identification of subgroups of individuals with BN, enabling them to be compared and contrasted. The identification of differences between subgroups may provide information regarding prognosis and differential response to treatment, which could enable more appropriate treatment decisions to be made.

Examination of breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) levels, alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT-C) classification, and intended plans for getting home among bar-attending college students.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Ryan J; Chaney, Beth H; Cremeens-Matthews, Jennifer

2015-06-01

The college student population is one of the heaviest drinking demographic groups in the US and impaired driving is a serious alcohol-related problem. The objective of this study is to better understand the relationship between alcohol-related behaviors and "plans to get home" among a sample of college students. We conducted four anonymous field studies to examine associations between breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) levels, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C) classification, and plans for getting home among a sample of bar-attending college students (N = 713). The vast majority of participants in our sample (approximately 95%) were not intending to drive and the average BrAC% of those intending to drive was .041. Our one-way ANOVAs indicated that (1) participants classified by the AUDIT-C as not having an alcohol problem had a significantly lower BrAC% than those classified as having a potential problem and (2) participants planning to drive had a significantly lower BrAC% than those with a plan that did not involve them driving and those without a plan to get home. Although it is encouraging that most of our sample was not intending to drive, it is important to continue to attempt to reduce impaired driving in this population. This study helps college health professionals and administrators to better understand the relationship between alcohol-related behaviors and plans to get home among college students. © American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

Identification of Anisotropic Criteria for Stratified Soil Based on Triaxial Tests Results

Science.gov (United States)

Tankiewicz, Matylda; Kawa, Marek

2017-09-01

The paper presents the identification methodology of anisotropic criteria based on triaxial test results. The considered material is varved clay - a sedimentary soil occurring in central Poland which is characterized by the so-called "layered microstructure". The strength examination outcomes were identified by standard triaxial tests. The results include the estimated peak strength obtained for a wide range of orientations and confining pressures. Two models were chosen as potentially adequate for the description of the tested material, namely Pariseau and its conjunction with the Jaeger weakness plane. Material constants were obtained by fitting the model to the experimental results. The identification procedure is based on the least squares method. The optimal values of parameters are searched for between specified bounds by sequentially decreasing the distance between points and reducing the length of the searched range. For both considered models the optimal parameters have been obtained. The comparison of theoretical and experimental results as well as the assessment of the suitability of selected criteria for the specified range of confining pressures are presented.

Adaptation and Preliminary Testing of the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) for Children in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Priya; Gabbard, Carl

2017-05-01

While Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) has gained worldwide attention, in India it is relatively unknown. The revised DCD Questionnaire (DCDQ'07) is one of the most utilized screening tools for DCD. The aim of this study was to translate the DCDQ'07 into the Hindi language (DCDQ-Hindi) and test its basic psychometric properties. The DCDQ'07 was translated following guidelines for cross cultural adaptation of instruments. Parents of 1100 children (5-15 years) completed the DCDQ-Hindi, of which 955 were considered for data analysis and 60 were retested randomly after 3 weeks for test-retest reliability. The DCDQ-Hindi showed high internal consistency (α = .86) and moderate test-retest reliability (.73). Confirmatory factor analysis showed equivalence to the DCDQ'07. The% probable DCD using DCDQ'07 cutoff scores (≤57) ranged from 22% to 68%. Using more stringent cutoffs (≤36) it ranged from 5% to 9%. Significant difference was seen for gender (p < .05) in subset 1(gross-motor skills) total scores. The DCDQ-Hindi reveals promise for initial identification of Hindi speaking Indian children with DCD. Based on more stringent cut-off scores, the "probable prevalence" of children with risk of DCD in India appears to be around 6-7%. Research with larger sample and comparison with the MABC-2 or equivalent is needed.

酒精使用障碍筛查量表中文版在我国应用状况的系统回顾%Application of the Chinese Version of Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test in China:A Systematic Review

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

张辉; 孙佳慧; 杨凤池

2015-01-01

目的：通过系统回顾10年来酒精使用障碍筛查量表（ AUDIT）中文版在我国的应用研究，探讨该工具在我国文化背景下的适用性及存在的问题。方法以“Chinese”“AUDIT”为关键词检索PubMed、EBSCO、Springer、PsycInfo、FirstSearch等数据库；以“中国”“酒精使用障碍筛查量表”为关键词检索中国知网（ CNKI）、万方数据库、VIP；时间限定为2005年1月—2014年12月。结果共检索到有关AUDIT中文版的翻译、效度或应用研究的文献共32篇，其中AUDIT中文版筛查酒精使用障碍界限值与信效度研究的文献共4篇，界限值为7~13分，筛查酒精使用障碍的灵敏度为85.7％~97.0％，特异度为63.0％~93.4％。AUDIT中文版用于筛查酒精使用障碍的相关文献中，调查对象包括病人、医护人员、居民、学生、特殊工作场所的工作人员。多数文献调查对象均同时纳入男性和女性。从年龄上看，调查对象多为15~65岁青中年。多数文献探讨了影响饮酒行为的人文社会因素，结果表明酒精使用障碍与心理状况、精神问题、生活事件、学历、经济状况、对酒精相关问题的认知程度等因素有关。结论 AUDIT中文版筛查酒精使用障碍者有效性较高，但其界限值尚未统一，且现有研究纳入的调查对象过于集中，尚缺乏对女性和老年人等人群及国际认可的本土化研究。%Objective To investigate the adaptability and current problems of the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test( AUDIT)in the cultural background of China through a systemic review of the research on the application of the Chinese version of AUDIT in the past decade. Methods With" Chinese" and" AUDIT" as the key words,we made a retrieval in the databases of PubMed,EBSCO,Springer,PsycInfo and FirstSearch;with" China" and" Alcohol Use Disordesr Identification Test" as key words,we made a retrieval in CNKI,Wanfang data and VIP

Body weight concerns: Cross-national study and identification of factors related to eating disorders

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, Wanderson Roberto; Santana, Moema de Souza; Maroco, João; Maloa, Benvindo Felismino Samuel

2017-01-01

Background Body weight concerns are common among individuals with eating disorders, and this construct can be assessed using psychometric instruments. The Weight Concerns Scale (WCS) is commonly used to assess body weight concerns. Aims To evaluate the psychometric properties of the WCS with Brazilian, Portuguese, and Mozambican female college students; to estimate body weight concerns; and to identify factors related to eating disorders. Methods Confirmatory factor analysis was performed. Factorial, convergent, concurrent, and divergent validity, as well as reliability, were assessed. Cross-national invariance was tested by means of multigroup analysis. Structural models were tested using the WCS as the dependent variable, while demographic and academic variables and body mass index were used as independent variables. Logistic models were tested to estimate the likelihood of eating disorders being developed in specific groups. Results Participants were 2,068 female students. The psychometric properties of the WCS were adequate for the Portuguese sample; however, for the Brazilian and Mozambican samples, it was necessary to correlate the errors of two items to improve model fit. The WCS did not show cross-national invariance. The variables “thoughts about dropping out of college,” “medication use because of studies,” “medication and supplements use for body change,” “body mass index,” “socioeconomic status,” “age,” and “performance in course” were significant predictors of body weight concerns. Overall, 24.4% (95% confidence interval = 22.9–26.7) of the students were likely to develop eating disorders. Students under 21 years old, who use medication and supplements for body change, and who were classified as overweight/obese have increased likelihood of developing eating disorders. Conclusion The WCS showed good psychometric properties with Brazilian, Portuguese, and Mozambican students; however, it did not show cross

Utility of Brief Versions of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) to Identify Excessive Drinking Among Patients in HIV Care in South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Morojele, Neo K; Nkosi, Sebenzile; Kekwaletswe, Connie T; Shuper, Paul A; Manda, Samuel O; Myers, Bronwyn; Parry, Charles D H

2017-01-01

In sub-Saharan Africa, large proportions of patients who are on antiretroviral therapy (ART) engage in excessive alcohol use, which may lead to adverse health consequences and may go undetected. Consequently, health care workers need brief screening tools to be able to routinely identify and manage excessive alcohol use among their patients. Various brief versions of the valid and reliable 10-item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) (i.e., the AUDIT-C, AUDIT-3, AUDIT-QF, AUDIT-PC, AUDIT-4, and m-FAST) may potentially replace the full AUDIT in busy HIV care settings. This study aims to assess the utility of these six brief versions of the AUDIT relative to the full AUDIT for identifying excessive alcohol use among patients in HIV care settings in South Africa. Participants were 188 (95 women) patients from three ART clinics within district hospitals in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality who reported past-12-month alcohol use. Performance of each brief AUDIT measure for identifying excessive alcohol use was evaluated against that of the full AUDIT (with a cutoff score of ≥6 for women and ≥8 for men) as the gold standard. We used receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Most brief AUDIT measures had an area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC) above .90 when compared with the full AUDIT (five of six for women and three of six for men). The AUDIT-PC, AUDIT-4, and m-FAST had the highest AUROCs, whereas the three brief measures comprising only consumption items had low specificities at the most optimal cutoff levels. Various brief versions of the AUDIT may be appropriate substitutes for the full AUDIT for screening for excessive alcohol use in HIV clinics in sub-Saharan Africa.

Simple Sample Preparation Method for Direct Microbial Identification and Susceptibility Testing From Positive Blood Cultures.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Hong-Wei; Li, Wei; Li, Rong-Guo; Li, Yong; Zhang, Yi; Sun, En-Hua

2018-01-01

Rapid identification and determination of the antibiotic susceptibility profiles of the infectious agents in patients with bloodstream infections are critical steps in choosing an effective targeted antibiotic for treatment. However, there has been minimal effort focused on developing combined methods for the simultaneous direct identification and antibiotic susceptibility determination of bacteria in positive blood cultures. In this study, we constructed a lysis-centrifugation-wash procedure to prepare a bacterial pellet from positive blood cultures, which can be used directly for identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and antibiotic susceptibility testing by the Vitek 2 system. The method was evaluated using a total of 129 clinical bacteria-positive blood cultures. The whole sample preparation process could be completed in identification was 96.49% for gram-negative bacteria and 97.22% for gram-positive bacteria. Vitek 2 antimicrobial susceptibility testing of gram-negative bacteria showed an agreement rate of antimicrobial categories of 96.89% with a minor error, major error, and very major error rate of 2.63, 0.24, and 0.24%, respectively. Category agreement of antimicrobials against gram-positive bacteria was 92.81%, with a minor error, major error, and very major error rate of 4.51, 1.22, and 1.46%, respectively. These results indicated that our direct antibiotic susceptibility analysis method worked well compared to the conventional culture-dependent laboratory method. Overall, this fast, easy, and accurate method can facilitate the direct identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing of bacteria in positive blood cultures.

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing for predicting sports performance and talent identification: Consensus statement.

Science.gov (United States)

Webborn, Nick; Williams, Alun; McNamee, Mike; Bouchard, Claude; Pitsiladis, Yannis; Ahmetov, Ildus; Ashley, Euan; Byrne, Nuala; Camporesi, Silvia; Collins, Malcolm; Dijkstra, Paul; Eynon, Nir; Fuku, Noriyuki; Garton, Fleur C; Hoppe, Nils; Holm, Søren; Kaye, Jane; Klissouras, Vassilis; Lucia, Alejandro; Maase, Kamiel; Moran, Colin; North, Kathryn N; Pigozzi, Fabio; Wang, Guan

2015-12-01

The general consensus among sport and exercise genetics researchers is that genetic tests have no role to play in talent identification or the individualised prescription of training to maximise performance. Despite the lack of evidence, recent years have witnessed the rise of an emerging market of direct-to-consumer marketing (DTC) tests that claim to be able to identify children's athletic talents. Targeted consumers include mainly coaches and parents. There is concern among the scientific community that the current level of knowledge is being misrepresented for commercial purposes. There remains a lack of universally accepted guidelines and legislation for DTC testing in relation to all forms of genetic testing and not just for talent identification. There is concern over the lack of clarity of information over which specific genes or variants are being tested and the almost universal lack of appropriate genetic counselling for the interpretation of the genetic data to consumers. Furthermore independent studies have identified issues relating to quality control by DTC laboratories with different results being reported from samples from the same individual. Consequently, in the current state of knowledge, no child or young athlete should be exposed to DTC genetic testing to define or alter training or for talent identification aimed at selecting gifted children or adolescents. Large scale collaborative projects, may help to develop a stronger scientific foundation on these issues in the future. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Cortical surface area reduction in identification of subjects at high risk for post-traumatic stress disorder: A pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Hao; Sun, Yawen; Su, Shanshan; Wang, Yao; Qiu, Yongming; Yang, Xi; Zhou, Yan; Xiao, Zeping; Wang, Zhen

2018-01-01

Victims of motor vehicle accidents often develop post-traumatic stress disorder, which causes significant social function loss. For the difficulty in treating post-traumatic stress disorder, identification of subjects at high risk for post-traumatic stress disorder is essential for providing possible intervention. This paper aims to examine the cortical structural traits related to susceptibility to post-traumatic stress disorder. To address this issue, we performed structural magnetic resonance imaging study in motor vehicle accident victims within 48 hours from the accidents. A total of 70 victims, available for both clinical and magnetic resonance imaging data, enrolled in our study. Upon completion of 6-month follow-up, 29 of them developed post-traumatic stress disorder, while 41 of them didn't. At baseline, voxelwise comparisons of cortical thickness, cortical area and cortical volume were conducted between post-traumatic stress disorder group and trauma control group. As expected, several reduced cortical volume within frontal-temporal loop were observed in post-traumatic stress disorder. For cortical thickness, no between-group differences were observed. There were three clusters in left hemisphere and one cluster in right hemisphere showing decreased cortical area in post-traumatic stress disorder patients, compared with trauma controls. Peak voxels of the three clusters in left hemisphere were separately located in superior parietal cortex, insula and rostral anterior cingulate cortex. The finding of reduced surface area of left insula and left rostral anterior cingulate cortex suggests that shrinked surface area in motor vehicle accident victims could act as potential biomarker of subjects at high risk for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Diseases and disorders of muscle.

Science.gov (United States)

Pearson, A M; Young, R B

1993-01-01

Muscle may suffer from a number of diseases or disorders, some being fatal to humans and animals. Their management or treatment depends on correct diagnosis. Although no single method may be used to identify all diseases, recognition depends on the following diagnostic procedures: (1) history and clinical examination, (2) blood biochemistry, (3) electromyography, (4) muscle biopsy, (5) nuclear magnetic resonance, (6) measurement of muscle cross-sectional area, (7) tests of muscle function, (8) provocation tests, and (9) studies on protein turnover. One or all of these procedures may prove helpful in diagnosis, but even then identification of the disorder may not be possible. Nevertheless, each of these procedures can provide useful information. Among the most common diseases in muscle are the muscular dystrophies, in which the newly identified muscle protein dystrophin is either absent or present at less than normal amounts in both Duchenne and Becker's muscular dystrophy. Although the identification of dystrophin represents a major breakthrough, treatment has not progressed to the experimental stage. Other major diseases of muscle include the inflammatory myopathies and neuropathies. Atrophy and hypertrophy of muscle and the relationship of aging, exercise, and fatigue all add to our understanding of the behavior of normal and abnormal muscle. Some other interesting related diseases and disorders of muscle include myasthenia gravis, muscular dysgenesis, and myclonus. Disorders of energy metabolism include those caused by abnormal glycolysis (Von Gierke's, Pompe's, Cori-Forbes, Andersen's, McArdle's, Hers', and Tauri's diseases) and by the acquired diseases of glycolysis (disorders of mitochondrial oxidation). Still other diseases associated with abnormal energy metabolism include lipid-related disorders (carnitine and carnitine palmitoyl-transferase deficiencies) and myotonic syndromes (myotonia congenita, paramyotonia congenita, hypokalemic and hyperkalemic

Understanding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs: Toward Identification of a Behavioral Phenotype

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kelly Nash

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs currently represent the leading cause of mental retardation in North America, ahead of Down syndrome and cerebral palsy. The damaging effects of alcohol on the developing brain have a cascading impact on the social and neurocognitive profiles of affected individuals. Researchers investigating the profiles of children with FASDs have found impairments in learning and memory, executive functioning, and language, as well as hyperactivity, impulsivity, poor communication skills, difficulties with social and moral reasoning, and psychopathology. The primary goal of this review paper is to examine current issues pertaining to the identification of a behavioral phenotype in FASDs, as well as to address related screening and diagnostic concerns. We conclude that future research initiatives comparing children with FASDs to nonalcohol-exposed children with similar cognitive and socioemotional profiles should aid in uncovering the unique behavioral phenotype for FASDs.

9 CFR 130.15 - User fees for veterinary diagnostic isolation and identification tests performed at NVSL...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false User fees for veterinary diagnostic isolation and identification tests performed at NVSL (excluding FADDL) or other authorized site. 130.15... AGRICULTURE USER FEES USER FEES § 130.15 User fees for veterinary diagnostic isolation and identification...

The geometry of distributional preferences and a non-parametric identification approach: The Equality Equivalence Test.

Science.gov (United States)

Kerschbamer, Rudolf

2015-05-01

This paper proposes a geometric delineation of distributional preference types and a non-parametric approach for their identification in a two-person context. It starts with a small set of assumptions on preferences and shows that this set (i) naturally results in a taxonomy of distributional archetypes that nests all empirically relevant types considered in previous work; and (ii) gives rise to a clean experimental identification procedure - the Equality Equivalence Test - that discriminates between archetypes according to core features of preferences rather than properties of specific modeling variants. As a by-product the test yields a two-dimensional index of preference intensity.

Development of Genetic Testing for Fragile X Syndrome and Associated Disorders, and Estimates of the Prevalence of FMR1 Expansion Mutations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James N. Macpherson

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The identification of a trinucleotide (CGG expansion as the chief mechanism of mutation in Fragile X syndrome in 1991 heralded a new chapter in molecular diagnostic genetics and generated a new perspective on mutational mechanisms in human genetic disease, which rapidly became a central paradigm (“dynamic mutation” as more and more of the common hereditary neurodevelopmental disorders were ascribed to this novel class of mutation. The progressive expansion of a CGG repeat in the FMR1 gene from “premutation” to “full mutation” provided an explanation for the “Sherman paradox,” just as similar expansion mechanisms in other genes explained the phenomenon of “anticipation” in their pathogenesis. Later, FMR1 premutations were unexpectedly found associated with two other distinct phenotypes: primary ovarian insufficiency and tremor-ataxia syndrome. This review will provide a historical perspective on procedures for testing and reporting of Fragile X syndrome and associated disorders, and the population genetics of FMR1 expansions, including estimates of prevalence and the influence of AGG interspersions on the rate and probability of expansion.

Simple Sample Preparation Method for Direct Microbial Identification and Susceptibility Testing From Positive Blood Cultures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hong-wei Pan

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Rapid identification and determination of the antibiotic susceptibility profiles of the infectious agents in patients with bloodstream infections are critical steps in choosing an effective targeted antibiotic for treatment. However, there has been minimal effort focused on developing combined methods for the simultaneous direct identification and antibiotic susceptibility determination of bacteria in positive blood cultures. In this study, we constructed a lysis-centrifugation-wash procedure to prepare a bacterial pellet from positive blood cultures, which can be used directly for identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS and antibiotic susceptibility testing by the Vitek 2 system. The method was evaluated using a total of 129 clinical bacteria-positive blood cultures. The whole sample preparation process could be completed in <15 min. The correct rate of direct MALDI-TOF MS identification was 96.49% for gram-negative bacteria and 97.22% for gram-positive bacteria. Vitek 2 antimicrobial susceptibility testing of gram-negative bacteria showed an agreement rate of antimicrobial categories of 96.89% with a minor error, major error, and very major error rate of 2.63, 0.24, and 0.24%, respectively. Category agreement of antimicrobials against gram-positive bacteria was 92.81%, with a minor error, major error, and very major error rate of 4.51, 1.22, and 1.46%, respectively. These results indicated that our direct antibiotic susceptibility analysis method worked well compared to the conventional culture-dependent laboratory method. Overall, this fast, easy, and accurate method can facilitate the direct identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing of bacteria in positive blood cultures.

Automatic Identification System (AIS) Transmit Testing in Louisville Phase 2

Science.gov (United States)

2014-08-01

Firewall Louisville QM 65.206.28.x NAIS Site Controller PC RS232 Serial cable TV32 Computer Cmd Center Serial splitter SAAB R40 AIS Base Station...172.17.14.6 Rack mount computer AIS Radio Interface Ethernet Switch 192.168.0.x Firewall Cable Modem 192.168.0.1 VTS Accred. Boundary serial connection...Automatic Identification System ( AIS ) Transmit Testing in Louisville Phase 2 Distribution Statement A: Approved for public release

Pathological gambling: an impulse control disorder? Measurement of impulsivity using neurocognitive tests.

Science.gov (United States)

Dannon, Pinhas N; Shoenfeld, Netta; Rosenberg, Oded; Kertzman, Semion; Kotler, Moshe

2010-04-01

Pathological gambling is classified in the DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) and in the ICD-10 (International Classification of Disease) as an impulse control disorder. The association between impulsivity and pathological gambling remains a matter of debate: some researchers find high levels of impulsivity within pathological gamblers, others report no difference compared to controls, and yet others even suggest that it is lower. In this review we examine the relationship between pathological gambling and impulsivity assessed by various neurocognitive tests. These tests--the Stroop task, the Stop Signal Task, the Matching Familiar Figures Task, the Iowa Gambling Task, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, the Tower of London test, and the Continuous Performance Test--demonstrated less impulsivity in gambling behavior. The differences in performance between pathological gamblers and healthy controls on the neurocognitive tasks could be due to addictive behavior features rather than impulsive behavior.

Disorder-specific and shared neurophysiological impairments of attention and inhibition in women with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and women with bipolar disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Michelini, G; Kitsune, G L; Hosang, G M; Asherson, P; McLoughlin, G; Kuntsi, J

2016-02-01

In adults, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder (BD) have certain overlapping symptoms, which can lead to uncertainty regarding the boundaries of the two disorders. Despite evidence of cognitive impairments in both disorders separately, such as in attentional and inhibitory processes, data on direct comparisons across ADHD and BD on cognitive-neurophysiological measures are as yet limited. We directly compared cognitive performance and event-related potential measures from a cued continuous performance test in 20 women with ADHD, 20 women with BD (currently euthymic) and 20 control women. The NoGo-N2 was attenuated in women with BD, reflecting reduced conflict monitoring, compared with women with ADHD and controls (both p < 0.05). Both ADHD and BD groups showed a reduced NoGo-P3, reflecting inhibitory control, compared with controls (both p < 0.05). In addition, the contingent negative variation was significantly reduced in the ADHD group (p = 0.05), with a trend in the BD group (p = 0.07), compared with controls. These findings indicate potential disorder-specific (conflict monitoring) and overlapping (inhibitory control, and potentially response preparation) neurophysiological impairments in women with ADHD and women with BD. The identified neurophysiological parameters further our understanding of neurophysiological impairments in women with ADHD and BD, and are candidate biomarkers that may aid in the identification of the diagnostic boundaries of the two disorders.

Laboratory tests of headache disorders - Dawn of a new era?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schytz, Henrik Winther; Olesen, Jes

2016-01-01

secondary headaches. Background In this narrative review we present and discuss published tests that might be useful in phenotyping and/or diagnosis of long-lasting headache disorders such as migraine, tension-type headache, trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias, trigeminal neuralgia and persisting secondary...... headaches. Aim The palpometer test, quantitative sensory testing, nociceptive blink reflex and autonomic tests may be valuable to phenotype and/or diagnose subforms of migraine, tension-type headache, cluster headache, trigeminal neuralgia and medication-overuse headache. Provocation tests with glyceryl...... if well-reputed tertiary headache centers commence developing and implementing laboratory tests in order to improve the classification and treatment of headache patients....

Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Anaerobic Bacteria: Rubik's Cube of Clinical Microbiology?

Science.gov (United States)

Gajdács, Márió; Spengler, Gabriella; Urbán, Edit

2017-11-07

Anaerobic bacteria have pivotal roles in the microbiota of humans and they are significant infectious agents involved in many pathological processes, both in immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. Their isolation, cultivation and correct identification differs significantly from the workup of aerobic species, although the use of new technologies (e.g., matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, whole genome sequencing) changed anaerobic diagnostics dramatically. In the past, antimicrobial susceptibility of these microorganisms showed predictable patterns and empirical therapy could be safely administered but recently a steady and clear increase in the resistance for several important drugs (β-lactams, clindamycin) has been observed worldwide. For this reason, antimicrobial susceptibility testing of anaerobic isolates for surveillance purposes or otherwise is of paramount importance but the availability of these testing methods is usually limited. In this present review, our aim was to give an overview of the methods currently available for the identification (using phenotypic characteristics, biochemical testing, gas-liquid chromatography, MALDI-TOF MS and WGS) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (agar dilution, broth microdilution, disk diffusion, gradient tests, automated systems, phenotypic and molecular resistance detection techniques) of anaerobes, when should these methods be used and what are the recent developments in resistance patterns of anaerobic bacteria.

Poor Utility of the Age of Onset Criterion for DSM-IV Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Recommendations for DSM-V and ICD-11

Science.gov (United States)

Todd, Richard D.; Huang, Hongyan; Henderson, Cynthia A.

2008-01-01

Background: To test whether the retrospective reporting of the age of onset impairment criterion for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) required in the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV" (DSM-IV) complicates identification of new and known child and adolescent cases later in life. Methods: A birth-records-based…

Improving the identification accuracy of senior witnesses: do prelineup questions and sequential testing help?

Science.gov (United States)

Memon, Amina; Gabbert, Fiona

2003-04-01

Eyewitness research has identified sequential lineup testing as a way of reducing false lineup choices while maintaining accurate identifications. The authors examined the usefulness of this procedure for reducing false choices in older adults. Young and senior witnesses viewed a crime video and were later presented with target present orabsent lineups in a simultaneous or sequential format. In addition, some participants received prelineup questions about their memory for a perpetrator's face and about their confidence in their ability to identify the culprit or to correctly reject the lineup. The sequential lineup reduced false choosing rates among young and older adults in target-absent conditions. In target-present conditions, sequential testing significantly reduced the correct identification rate in both age groups.

Identification Report: Earthquake Test on 2-Bay, 6-Story Scale 1:5 RC-Frames

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kirkegaard, Poul Henning; Skjærbæk, P. S.; Nielsen, Søren R. K.

The aim of the present report is to supply the identification results from the tests performed with a laboratory model of a plane 6-storey, 2-bay scale 1:5 RC-frame at Aalborg University, Denmark during the autumn 1996. The tests were performed as a part of a Ph.D study considering evaluation of ...

Lexical and metaphonological abilities in preschoolers with phonological disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Ranilde Cristiane Cavalcante; Avila, Clara Regina Brandão de

2010-01-01

lexical and metaphonological abilities of phonologically disordered preschoolers. to investigate the influence of Phonological Disorder on the lexical and metaphonological abilities of a group of preschoolers and the correlation between them. participants were 56 preschoolers - 32 boys and 24 girls - with ages between 4 years and 6 months and 6 years and 11 months, divided into two different groups: the Research Group, composed of 28 preschoolers with Phonological Disorder, and the Control Group, composed of 28 preschoolers with normal speech and no oral speech-related complaints, paired to the research group by gender and age. All of the participants were initially assessed by the ABFW Test - Phonology. After that, they were assessed on their lexical and metaphonological abilities by the ABFW Test - Vocabulary and phonological awareness test: sequential assessment instrument, CONFIAS - identification tasks and, rhyme and alliteration production, respectively. regarding lexical ability, the preschoolers from both groups presented similar behavior. The disordered preschoolers presented the worst performance on the overall analysis of the metaphonological ability. Age had an influence on the performance of lexical ability for both groups and the metaphonological abilities only for the Control Group. Correlations were identified, mostly positive, good to moderate between lexical and metaphonological abilities. the influence of Phonological Disorder may only be observed on the metaphonological performance. Phonological Disorder did not interfere with the development of the lexical ability of this group of preschoolers. Positive correlations were identified between both abilities in the studied age group.

Testing instrument validity for LATE identification based on inequality moment constraints

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huber, Martin; Mellace, Giovanni

2015-01-01

We derive testable implications of instrument validity in just identified treatment effect models with endogeneity and consider several tests. The identifying assumptions of the local average treatment effect allow us to both point identify and bound the mean potential outcomes (i) of the always...... takers under treatment and (ii) of the never takers under non-treatment. The point identified means must lie within their respective bounds, which provides us with four testable inequality moment constraints. Finally, we adapt our testing framework to the identification of distributional features....... A brief simulation study and an application to labor market data are also provided....

Diagnostic accuracy of temporomandibular disorder pain tests: a multicenter study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Visscher, C.M.; Naeije, M.; de Laat, A.; Michelotti, A.; Nilner, M.; Craane, B.; Ekberg, E.; Farella, M.; Lobbezoo, F.

2009-01-01

AIMS: To estimate the diagnostic accuracy of the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) clinical examination and of the dynamic/static tests for the recognition of TMD pain. Since the diagnosis of TMD pain is especially complicated in persistent orofacial pain

Tandem walking as a quick screening test for vestibular disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Helen S; Stitz, Jasmine; Sangi-Haghpeykar, Haleh; Williams, Susan P; Mulavara, Ajitkumar P; Peters, Brian T; Bloomberg, Jacob J

2017-12-11

Although many screening tests of balance are available, few of them have been well validated for clinical or research uses. The goal of this study was to test an updated version of an old test, Tandem Walking, to determine how useful it is for screening patients with vestibular disorders. Case-control study. Subjects were 90 adult patients with vestibular disorders and 292 healthy adult controls. They were tested on the number of correct tandem steps they could perform with arms crossed and eyes closed in a series of 10 steps. Correct steps could be nonconsecutive. Subjects were given one practice trial with eyes open and three experimental trials with eyes closed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and sensitivity and specificity were calculated. ROC values, sensitivity, and specificity were, at best, only moderate, no matter how the age range was cut. Even for subjects in the age group with the highest ROC value (i.e., age less than 50 years), ROC = 0.8, sensitivity = 0.77, and specificity = 0.72. These results indicate that 23% of patients will not be identified. Therefore, we recommend that if this test is used for screening patients in the clinic or healthy volunteers, the result should be interpreted with care. 3b Laryngoscope, 2017. © 2017 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Animal models of tic disorders: a translational perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Godar, Sean C; Mosher, Laura J; Di Giovanni, Giuseppe; Bortolato, Marco

2014-12-30

Tics are repetitive, sudden movements and/or vocalizations, typically enacted as maladaptive responses to intrusive premonitory urges. The most severe tic disorder, Tourette syndrome (TS), is a childhood-onset condition featuring multiple motor and at least one phonic tic for a duration longer than 1 year. The pharmacological treatment of TS is mainly based on antipsychotic agents; while these drugs are often effective in reducing tic severity and frequency, their therapeutic compliance is limited by serious motor and cognitive side effects. The identification of novel therapeutic targets and development of better treatments for tic disorders is conditional on the development of animal models with high translational validity. In addition, these experimental tools can prove extremely useful to test hypotheses on the etiology and neurobiological bases of TS and related conditions. In recent years, the translational value of these animal models has been enhanced, thanks to a significant re-organization of our conceptual framework of neuropsychiatric disorders, with a greater focus on endophenotypes and quantitative indices, rather than qualitative descriptors. Given the complex and multifactorial nature of TS and other tic disorders, the selection of animal models that can appropriately capture specific symptomatic aspects of these conditions can pose significant theoretical and methodological challenges. In this article, we will review the state of the art on the available animal models of tic disorders, based on genetic mutations, environmental interventions as well as pharmacological manipulations. Furthermore, we will outline emerging lines of translational research showing how some of these experimental preparations have led to significant progress in the identification of novel therapeutic targets for tic disorders. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Animal models of tic disorders: A translational perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Godar, Sean C.; Mosher, Laura J.; Di Giovanni, Giuseppe; Bortolato, Marco

2014-01-01

Tics are repetitive, sudden movements and/or vocalizations, typically enacted as maladaptive responses to intrusive premonitory urges. The most severe tic disorder, Tourette syndrome (TS), is a childhood-onset condition featuring multiple motor and at least one phonic tic for a duration longer than 1 year. The pharmacological treatment of TS is mainly based on antipsychotic agents; while these drugs are often effective in reducing tic severity and frequency, their therapeutic compliance is limited by serious motor and cognitive side effects. The identification of novel therapeutic targets and development of better treatments for tic disorders is conditional on the development of animal models with high translational validity. In addition, these experimental tools can prove extremely useful to test hypotheses on the etiology and neurobiological bases of TS and related conditions. In recent years, the translational value of these animal models has been enhanced, thanks to a significant re-organization of our conceptual framework of neuropsychiatric disorders, with a greater focus on endophenotypes and quantitative indices, rather than qualitative descriptors. Given the complex and multifactorial nature of TS and other tic disorders, the selection of animal models that can appropriately capture specific symptomatic aspects of these conditions can pose significant theoretical and methodological challenges. In this article, we will review the state of the art on the available animal models of tic disorders, based on genetic mutations, environmental interventions as well as pharmacological manipulations. Furthermore, we will outline emerging lines of translational research showing how some of these experimental preparations have led to significant progress in the identification of novel therapeutic targets for tic disorders. PMID:25244952

Psychiatric comorbidity of gender identity disorders: a survey among Dutch psychiatrists.

Science.gov (United States)

à Campo, Joost; Nijman, Henk; Merckelbach, H; Evers, Catharine

2003-07-01

In the Netherlands, it is considered good medical practice to offer patients with gender identity disorder the option to undergo hormonal and surgical sex reassignment therapy. A liberalization of treatment guidelines now allows for such treatment to be started at puberty or prepuberty. The question arises as to what extent gender identity disorder can be reliably distinguished from a cross-gender identification that is secondary to other psychiatric disorders. The authors sent survey questionnaires to 382 board-certified Dutch psychiatrists regarding their experiences with diagnosing and treating patients with gender identity disorder. One hundred eighty-six psychiatrists responded to the survey. These respondents reported on 584 patients with cross-gender identification. In 225 patients (39%), gender identity disorder was regarded as the primary diagnosis. For the remaining 359 patients (61%), cross-gender identification was comorbid with other psychiatric disorders. In 270 (75%) of these 359 patients, cross-gender identification was interpreted as an epiphenomenon of other psychiatric illnesses, notably personality, mood, dissociative, and psychotic disorders. These data suggest that there is little consensus, at least among Dutch psychiatrists, about diagnostic features of gender identity disorder or about the minimum age at which sex reassignment therapy is a safe option. Therapy options proposed to patients with gender identity disorder appear to depend on personal preferences of psychiatrists. These results underline the need for more specific diagnostic rules in this area.

Structural Brain Abnormalities in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Patients with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Brieber, Sarah; Neufang, Susanne; Bruning, Nicole; Kamp-Becker, Inge; Remschmidt, Helmut; Herpertz-Dahlmann, Beate; Fink, Gereon R.; Konrad, Kerstin

2007-01-01

Background: Although autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two distinct neurodevelopmental diseases, they share behavioural, neuropsychological and neurobiological characteristics. For the identification of endophenotypes across diagnostic categories, further investigations of phenotypic overlap…

The Dutch Technical-Tactical Tennis Test (D4T) for Talent Identification and Development : Psychometric Characteristics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kolman, Nikki; Huijgen, Barbara; Kramer, Tamara; Elferink-Gemser, Marije; Visscher, Chris

2017-01-01

This study examined the test-retest reliability, validity and feasibility of the newly developed Dutch Technical Tactical Tennis Test (D4T). This new test is relevant for talent identification and development in tennis. Thirty-two youth male tennis players (age 13.4 +/- 0.5) were classified as elite

[Identification of Candida dubliniensis strains using heat tolerance tests, morphological characteristics and molecular methods].

Science.gov (United States)

Arikan, Sevtap; Darka, Ozge; Hasçelik, Gülşen; Günalp, Ayfer

2003-01-01

Described in 1995, Candida dubliniensis is a novel Candida species closely related to Candida albicans due primarily to its ability to produce germ tube and chlamydospores. Given these phenotypic similarities between the two species, C. dubliniensis cannot be readily distinguished from Candida albicans by routine laboratory work-up. We explored the frequency of isolation of C. dubliniensis among 213 strains previously defined as C. albicans based on their ability to produce germ tube. The test isolates were initially examined for their morphological features on cornmeal tween 80 agar, inability to grow at 45 degrees C, and the biochemical assimilation profile (ID 32C system, bioMerieux, France). Among all, 2 (0.9%) of the isolates were identified as C. dubliniensis based on the production of numerous chlamydospores in chains on cornmeal tween 80 agar and the lack of growth at 45 degrees C. The assimilation profile of these isolates was found to be in accordance with this identification. In an effort to confirm the identification, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) studies were carried out by using the C. dubliniensis specific primer set, DUBF and DUBR. Both of the isolates yielded C. dubliniensis-specific 288 base pair amplification products, confirming the previous identification obtained with the initial screening tests. The isolates were found to be susceptible to fluconazole and itraconazole, and generated amphotericin B minimal inhibitory concentrations of 0.5-1 microgram/ml by NCCLS M27-A2 microdilution method. These data suggest that the isolation rate of C. dubliniensis among our clinical isolates is low. The morphological features on cornmeal tween 80 agar and the lack of ability to grow at 45 degrees C appear as reliable, cheap, and practical screening tests in initial identification of C. dubliniensis among germ tube-producing Candida strains.

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Scale (AUDIT) normative scores for a multiracial sample of Rhodes University residence students.

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Charles; Mayson, Tamara

2010-06-01

The objective of this research is to obtain accurate drinking norms for students living in the university residences in preparation for future social norms interventions that would allow individual students to compare their drinking to an appropriate reference group. Random cluster sampling was used to obtain data from 318 residence students who completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), a brief, reliable and valid screening measure designed by the World Health Organisation (Babor et al. 2001). The Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.83 reported for this multicultural sample is high, suggesting that the AUDIT may be reliably used in this and similar contexts. Normative scores are reported in the form of percentiles. Comparisons between the portions of students drinking safely and hazardously according to race and gender indicate that while male students are drinking no more hazardously than female students, white students drink far more hazardously than black students. These differences suggest that both race- and gender-specific norms would be essential for an effective social norms intervention in this multicultural South African context. Finally, the racialised drinking patterns might reflect an informal segregation of social space at Rhodes University.

Celebrity Influence and Identification: A Test of the Angelina Effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Kosenko, Kami A; Binder, Andrew R; Hurley, Ryan

2016-01-01

Angelina Jolie's announcement that she is a BRCA1 carrier and has had a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy was met with widespread support as well as speculation about its possible impact on the public. These speculations were the subject of a Time magazine cover story titled "The Angelina Effect" (Kluger et al., 2013 ). Although there is anecdotal evidence to support this hypothesized Angelina effect, empirical tests are lacking. To explore possible links between Angelina's announcement and public health, we surveyed 356 adults immediately after the announcement. Guided by a model of celebrity influence, the survey assessed participants' demographics and health history, identification and parasocial interaction with Jolie, and genetic testing intentions. Results supported the model's predictions and provided preliminary evidence of an Angelina effect.

Clinical identification of the simple sleep-related movement disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Walters, Arthur S

2007-04-01

Simple sleep-related movement disorders must be distinguished from daytime movement disorders that persist during sleep, sleep-related epilepsy, and parasomnias, which are generally characterized by activity that appears to be simultaneously complex, goal-directed, and purposeful but is outside the conscious awareness of the patient and, therefore, inappropriate. Once it is determined that the patient has a simple sleep-related movement disorder, the part of the body affected by the movement and the age of the patient give clues as to which sleep-related movement disorder is present. In some cases, all-night polysomnography with accompanying video may be necessary to make the diagnosis. Hypnic jerks (ie, sleep starts), bruxism, rhythmic movement disorder (ie, head banging/body rocking), and nocturnal leg cramps are discussed in addition to less well-appreciated disorders such as benign sleep myoclonus of infancy, excessive fragmentary myoclonus, and hypnagogic foot tremor/alternating leg muscle activation.

Identification and preclinical testing of novel antiepileptic compounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Meldrum, B S

1997-01-01

Procedures for identifying novel antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are changing and need to change more. Widespread reliance on two primary screens has led to the identification of novel compounds that resemble either phenytoin (suppressing high-frequency repetitive firing in cultured neurons and prolonging inactivation of voltage-dependent sodium channels identified by the maximal electroshock test) or benzodiazepines (potentiating the inhibitory effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), identified by the threshold pentylenetetrazol test). Advances in molecular neurobiology have identified specific molecular targets (subunits of ion channels, neurotransmitter receptors, and transporters) and have made them available in a form permitting high-throughput screening. AEDs can be designed to interact with specific sites on the target molecules. Alternatively, the molecular screens can be used to identify active components in natural products, including folk remedies. Preclinical in vivo screens can be improved by using animals with genetic or acquired epilepsies that have similar modifications in the properties of the target molecules as do human epilepsy syndromes. Future work is likely to define molecular targets for AEDs that will block or reverse chronic epileptogenesis.

Performance of a nuclide identification of HYPERGAM on the IAEA 2002 test spectra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, B. G.; Jung, N. S.; Kim, J. H.; Choi, H. D.; Park, C. S.

2010-01-01

An important part of the γ-ray spectrum analysis software is the ability to identify radionuclides on the spectrum, and to determine activity of each radionuclide. Rapid determination and a low number of missing and false hit are required to the γ-ray spectrum analysis software to be useful. HyperGam has been developed to analyze an HPGe γ-ray spectrum by Applied Nuclear Physics Group in Seoul National University. Through a series of subsequent studies, the on-line analysis as well as the off-line analysis was possible. In addition, the automatic algorithm of nuclide identification has been developed to identify the peaks on the spectrum considering with yield, efficiency, energy and peak area of the γ-ray line from radionuclide. In this study, the performance of the nuclide identification of HyperGam is tested by using the IAEA 2002 set of test spectra and is compared to the well-known γ-ray spectrum analysis software

Comparison of the Morel Emotional Numbing Test for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder to the Word Memory Test in neuropsychological evaluations.

Science.gov (United States)

Morel, Kenneth R

2008-03-01

The most commonly feigned cognitive and psychiatric disorders for survivors of traumatic injury are memory dysfunction and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The position of the National Academy of Neuropsychology is that symptom validity tests (SVTs) should be part of any comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation. In this article the Morel Emotional Numbing Test for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (MENT), a SVT for PTSD, was compared to a SVT for memory, the Word Memory Test (WMT). Available archival data on 216 consecutive referrals for neuropsychological evaluations at the Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System were reviewed. Of the total records reviewed 37 patients had been administered both the MENT and the WMT. The clinically recommended cutoff on the WMT was used as the main criterion to classify patients into two groups: simulating impairment or credible. The results indicated that the simulating impairment group had significantly more errors on the MENT than the credible group did (p <.0001). The criterion-related characteristics of the MENT in assessing response bias in relation to the WMT were confirmed Clinical and research implications of the utilization of the MENT are discussed in this study.

Object relations, reality testing, and social withdrawal in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Charlotte Fredslund; Torgalsbøen, Anne-Kari; Røssberg, Jan Ivar; Romm, Kristin Lie; Andreassen, Ole Andreas; Bell, Morris D; Melle, Ingrid

2013-03-01

In this study, we investigated the relationships between observed social withdrawal (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale [PANSS] Passive Social Withdrawal and PANSS Active Social Avoidance), subjectively experienced social withdrawal (Social Functioning Scale [SFS] Withdrawal and SFS Interpersonal Behavior), and their associations to the underlying psychological patterns of Object Relations and Reality Testing. Patients with schizophrenia (n = 55) and bipolar disorder (n = 51) from the ongoing Thematically Organized Psychosis project, Oslo University Hospital, Norway, were evaluated using the Bell Object Relations and Reality Testing Inventory, the PANSS, and the SFS. Object relations and reality testing subscales related differentially to PANSS Passive Social Withdrawal and PANSS Active Social Avoidance. These two measures, together with the level of alienation, explained a significant amount of variance in self-experienced social dysfunction. Findings reveal the multidimensional nature of social dysfunction in severe mental disorders.

Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Anaerobic Bacteria: Rubik’s Cube of Clinical Microbiology?

Science.gov (United States)

Gajdács, Márió; Spengler, Gabriella; Urbán, Edit

2017-01-01

Anaerobic bacteria have pivotal roles in the microbiota of humans and they are significant infectious agents involved in many pathological processes, both in immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. Their isolation, cultivation and correct identification differs significantly from the workup of aerobic species, although the use of new technologies (e.g., matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, whole genome sequencing) changed anaerobic diagnostics dramatically. In the past, antimicrobial susceptibility of these microorganisms showed predictable patterns and empirical therapy could be safely administered but recently a steady and clear increase in the resistance for several important drugs (β-lactams, clindamycin) has been observed worldwide. For this reason, antimicrobial susceptibility testing of anaerobic isolates for surveillance purposes or otherwise is of paramount importance but the availability of these testing methods is usually limited. In this present review, our aim was to give an overview of the methods currently available for the identification (using phenotypic characteristics, biochemical testing, gas-liquid chromatography, MALDI-TOF MS and WGS) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (agar dilution, broth microdilution, disk diffusion, gradient tests, automated systems, phenotypic and molecular resistance detection techniques) of anaerobes, when should these methods be used and what are the recent developments in resistance patterns of anaerobic bacteria. PMID:29112122

Music identification skills of children with specific language impairment.

Science.gov (United States)

Mari, Giorgia; Scorpecci, Alessandro; Reali, Laura; D'Alatri, Lucia

2016-03-01

To date very few studies have investigated the musical skills of children with specific language impairment (SLI). There is growing evidence that SLI affects areas other than language, and it is therefore reasonable to hypothesize that children with this disorder may have difficulties in perceiving musical stimuli appropriately. To compare melody and song identification skills in a group of children with SLI and in a control group of children with typical language development (TD); and to study possible correlations between music identification skills and language abilities in the SLI group. This is a prospective case control study. Two groups of children were enrolled: one meeting DSM-IV-TR(®) diagnostic criteria for SLI and the other comprising an age-matched group of children with TD. All children received a melody and a song identification test, together with a test battery assessing receptive and productive language abilities. 30 children with SLI (mean age = 56 ± 9 months) and 23 with TD (mean age = 60 ± 10 months) were included. Melody and song identification scores among SLI children were significantly lower than those of TD children, and in both groups song identification scores were significantly higher than melody identification scores. Song identification skills bore a significant correlation to chronological age in both groups (TD: r = 0.529, p = 0.009; SLI: r = 0.506, p = 0.004). Whereas no other variables were found explaining the variability of melody or song identification scores in either group, the correlation between language comprehension and song identification in the SLI group approached significance (r = 0.166, p = 0.076). The poorer music perception skills of SLI children as compared with TD ones suggests that SLI may also affect music perception. Therefore, training programmes that simultaneously stimulate via language and music may prove useful in the rehabilitation of children affected by SLI. © 2015 Royal College of Speech and

Psychometric evaluation of the adolescent and parent versions of the Gaming Addiction Identification Test (GAIT).

Science.gov (United States)

Vadlin, Sofia; Åslund, Cecilia; Rehn, Mattias; Nilsson, Kent W

2015-12-01

The objective of the study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Gaming Addiction Identification Test (GAIT) and its parent version (GAIT-P), in a representative community sample of adolescents and parents in Västmanland, Sweden. Self-rated and parent-rated gaming addictive symptoms identified by GAIT and GAIT-P were analyzed for frequency of endorsement, internal consistency, concordance, factor structure, prevalence of Internet gaming disorder (IGD), concurrence with the Gaming Addiction Scale for Adolescents, 7-item version (GAS) and the parent version of GAS (GAS-P), and for sex differences. The 12-month prevalence of IGD was found to be 1.3% with GAIT and 2.4% with GAIT-P. Results also indicate promising psychometric results within this population, with high internal consistency, and high concurrent validity with GAS and GAS-P. Concordance between adolescents and parents ratings was high, although moderate in girls. Although exploratory factor analysis indicated poor model fit, it also indicated unidimensionality and high factor loadings in all analyses. GAIT and GAIT-P are suitable for continued use in measuring gaming addiction in adolescents, and, with the additional two items, they now cover all nine IGD criteria. © 2015 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Psychometric Testing of the Personal Internet Gaming Disorder Evaluation-9: A New Measure Designed to Assess Internet Gaming Disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Pearcy, Benjamin T D; Roberts, Lynne D; McEvoy, Peter M

2016-05-01

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is in the early stages of recognition as a disorder, following its inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association(1)) as a condition for further study. Existing measures of Internet gaming pathology are limited in their ability to measure IGD as defined in the DSM-5. We present the initial development and validation of a new measure derived from the proposed DSM-5 criteria for IGD, the Personal Internet Gaming Disorder Evaluation-9 (PIE-9). A student sample (n = 119) and a community sample (n = 285), sourced through a variety of online gaming forums, completed an online survey comprising the new measure, existing measures of IGD, and a range of health and demographic questions. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis supported a single factor structure for the 9-item PIE-9. Internal consistency (α = 0.89) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation [ICC] = 0.77) were high. Convergent validity was demonstrated with similar gaming addiction measures. Predictive validity was established through significant differences in distress and disability between those who met the criteria for IGD and those who did not. The distress and disability associated with meeting IGD criteria fell within the range of other common DSM-5 disorders. Preliminary testing of the PIE-9 has demonstrated that it is an efficient and straightforward measure for use in further research of IGD, and as a potential screening measure in clinical practice.

The Past, Present, and Future of Preimplantation Genetic Testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Imudia, Anthony N; Plosker, Shayne

2016-06-01

Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) of oocytes and embryos is the earliest form of prenatal testing. PGT requires in vitro fertilization for embryo creation. In the past 25 years, the use of PGT has increased dramatically. The indications of PGT include identification of embryos harboring single-gene disorders, chromosomal structural abnormalities, chromosomal numeric abnormalities, and mitochondrial disorders; gender selection; and identifying unaffected, HLA-matched embryos to permit the creation of a savior sibling. PGT is not without risks, limitations, or ethical controversies. This review discusses the techniques and clinical applications of different forms of PGT and the debate surrounding its associated uncertainty and expanded use. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Validation of the exercise and eating disorder questionnaire in males with and without eating disorders.

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Danielsen, Marit; Bjørnelv, Sigrid; Bratberg, Grete Helen; Rø, Øyvind

2018-03-14

The need to consider gender when studying exercise in eating disorder (ED) has been underscored. The study aimed to test the psychometric properties and factor structure of the exercise and eating disorder (EED) questionnaire for males with and without ED, to highlight gender differences, and to explore issues relevant for a male version of the EED questionnaire. This cross sectional study included 258 male participants: 55 ED patients (inpatients and outpatients) and 203 student controls. The patient group consisted of 54.5% (n = 30) with AN, 18.2% (n = 10) with BN, 27.2% (n = 15) with unspecified ED. The ED sample was treated as transdiagnostic in all analyses. t Tests, chi-square test, correlations analyses, and a principal component analysis were conducted. The analyses confirmed that the EED questionnaire had adequate psychometric properties, and a four-factor solution: (a) compulsive exercise, (b) positive and healthy exercise, (c) awareness of bodily signals, and (d) weight and shape exercise. The questionnaire discriminated significantly (p < .01- < .001) between patients and controls on the global score, subscales, and 16 out of 18 individual items. Convergent validity was demonstrated by high correlations between the EED questionnaire and the eating disorder examination questionnaire (r = .65). The results indicated that the EED questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for males. It is a clinically derived, self-report questionnaire to assess compulsive exercise among ED patients, regarding attitudes and thoughts toward compulsive exercise and identification of treatment targets and priorities. © 2018 The Authors International Journal of Eating Disorders Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Direct identification and susceptibility testing of positive blood cultures using high speed cold centrifugation and Vitek II system.

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Bazzi, Ali M; Rabaan, Ali A; Fawarah, Mahmoud M; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A

Compared to routine isolated colony-based methods, direct testing of bacterial pellets from positive blood cultures reduces turnaround time for reporting of antibiotic susceptibility. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy, and precision, of a rapid method for direct identification and susceptibility testing of blood cultures with the routine method used in our laboratory, using Vitek 2. A total of 60 isolates were evaluated using the candidate and the routine method. The candidate method had 100% accuracy for the identification of Gram negative bacteria, Staphylococcus and Enterococcus, 50% for Streptococcus and 33.3% for Corynebacterium species. Susceptibility testing of Gram negative isolates yielded 98-100% essential agreement. For Staphylococcus and Enterococcus isolates, essential agreement was 100% for 17 antibiotics except for moxifloxacin. Direct testing of blood culture samples with Vitek 2 produced reliable identification and susceptibility results 18-24h sooner for aerobic/anaerobic facultative Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive Staphylococcus and Enterococcus strains. Copyright © 2016 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A European perspective on alternatives to animal testing for environmental hazard identification and risk assessment.

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Scholz, Stefan; Sela, Erika; Blaha, Ludek; Braunbeck, Thomas; Galay-Burgos, Malyka; García-Franco, Mauricio; Guinea, Joaquin; Klüver, Nils; Schirmer, Kristin; Tanneberger, Katrin; Tobor-Kapłon, Marysia; Witters, Hilda; Belanger, Scott; Benfenati, Emilio; Creton, Stuart; Cronin, Mark T D; Eggen, Rik I L; Embry, Michelle; Ekman, Drew; Gourmelon, Anne; Halder, Marlies; Hardy, Barry; Hartung, Thomas; Hubesch, Bruno; Jungmann, Dirk; Lampi, Mark A; Lee, Lucy; Léonard, Marc; Küster, Eberhard; Lillicrap, Adam; Luckenbach, Till; Murk, Albertinka J; Navas, José M; Peijnenburg, Willie; Repetto, Guillermo; Salinas, Edward; Schüürmann, Gerrit; Spielmann, Horst; Tollefsen, Knut Erik; Walter-Rohde, Susanne; Whale, Graham; Wheeler, James R; Winter, Matthew J

2013-12-01

Tests with vertebrates are an integral part of environmental hazard identification and risk assessment of chemicals, plant protection products, pharmaceuticals, biocides, feed additives and effluents. These tests raise ethical and economic concerns and are considered as inappropriate for assessing all of the substances and effluents that require regulatory testing. Hence, there is a strong demand for replacement, reduction and refinement strategies and methods. However, until now alternative approaches have only rarely been used in regulatory settings. This review provides an overview on current regulations of chemicals and the requirements for animal tests in environmental hazard and risk assessment. It aims to highlight the potential areas for alternative approaches in environmental hazard identification and risk assessment. Perspectives and limitations of alternative approaches to animal tests using vertebrates in environmental toxicology, i.e. mainly fish and amphibians, are discussed. Free access to existing (proprietary) animal test data, availability of validated alternative methods and a practical implementation of conceptual approaches such as the Adverse Outcome Pathways and Integrated Testing Strategies were identified as major requirements towards the successful development and implementation of alternative approaches. Although this article focusses on European regulations, its considerations and conclusions are of global relevance. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Neuromarkers for Mental Disorders: Harnessing Population Neuroscience

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Lee Jollans

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Despite abundant research into the neurobiology of mental disorders, to date neurobiological insights have had very little impact on psychiatric diagnosis or treatment. In this review, we contend that the search for neuroimaging biomarkers—neuromarkers—of mental disorders is a highly promising avenue toward improved psychiatric healthcare. However, many of the traditional tools used for psychiatric neuroimaging are inadequate for the identification of neuromarkers. Specifically, we highlight the need for larger samples and for multivariate analysis. Approaches such as machine learning are likely to be beneficial for interrogating high-dimensional neuroimaging data. We suggest that broad, population-based study designs will be important for developing neuromarkers of mental disorders, and will facilitate a move away from a phenomenological definition of mental disorder categories and toward psychiatric nosology based on biological evidence. We provide an outline of how the development of neuromarkers should occur, emphasizing the need for tests of external and construct validity, and for collaborative research efforts. Finally, we highlight some concerns regarding the development, and use of, neuromarkers in psychiatric healthcare.

The utility of pharmacogenetic testing to support the treatment of bipolar disorder

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Ielmini M

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Marta Ielmini,1 Nicola Poloni,1 Ivano Caselli,1 Jordi Espadaler,2 Miquel Tuson,2 Alessandro Grecchi,3 Camilla Callegari1 1Department of Medicine and Surgery, Division of Psychiatry, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy; 2AB-BIOTICS S.A, R&D Unit, Sant Cugat del Valles, Barcelona, Spain; 3ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo Borromeo, Division of Psychiatry, Milan, Italy Background: Bipolar disorder (BD is a frequent cause of disability, health care costs, and risk of suicide. Pharmacogenetic tests (PGTs could help clinicians to identify those patients predisposed to the occurrence of adverse events (AEs improving the understanding of the correlation between genetic variants and drug response.Materials and methods: The study evaluated 30 patients affected by BD type I or II (according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, version 5 who underwent the PGT Neurofarmagen® (AB-BIOTICS SA, Barcelona, Spain between March 2016 and March 2017. The primary aim of this study was to identify if the treatment prescribed by the psychiatrists was consistent with the treatment suggested by the PGT at T0 (corresponding to the test report communication. As a secondary aim, we wanted to assess if clinicians had changed the treatment (in case of discordance at T1 (3-month follow-up visit according to the results of the PGT.Results: At T0, only 4 patients (13% had an optimal therapy in line with the PGT suggestions. At 3-month follow-up, 13 patients (40% had received a change of therapy consistent to the test, showing a significant statistical improvement in the Clinical Global Impression item Severity (CGI-S score over time compared to those not having changes consistent with the test. Regarding AEs, at baseline 9 out of 10 (90% of the patients who received a therapy modification according to the test presented AEs, and a significant within-group reduction was observed after 3 months (p = 0.031.Conclusion: Despite the small sample size, the study shows

Fragile X-associated disorders: Don't miss them.

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Birch, Rachael C; Cohen, Jonathan; Trollor, Julian N

2017-01-01

Fragile X-associated disorders are a family of inherited disorders caused by expansions in the Fragile X Mental Retardation 1 (FMR1) gene. Premutation expansions of the FMR1 gene confer risk for fragile X-associated primary ovarian insufficiency and fragile X-associated tremor ataxia syndrome, as well as other medical and psychiatric comorbidities. Premutation expansions of the FMR1 gene are common in the general population. However, fragile X-associated disorders are frequently under-recognised and often misdiagnosed. The aim of this article is to describe fragile X-associated disorders and identify specific considerations for general practitioners (GPs) during identification and management of these disorders. GPs have a critical role in the identification of fragile X-associated disorders, as well as coordination of complex care needs. Prompt recognition and appropriate management of these disorders and potential medical and psychiatric comorbidities will have important implications not only for the affected patient, but also other family members who may be at risk.

A Study of the Central Auditory Function in Stutters by Masking Level Difference and Synthetic Sentence Identification Tests

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Afsaneh Rajab

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Background and Aim: There are evidences that indicate a relationship between auditory processing disor¬ders and stuttering,¬ and any disorder in the central auditory function can be at least one of the underly¬ing causes of stuttering. Even though, using the most state of the art radiographic technologies, i.e. MRI, no definitive answer has been given in relative to this question. In this research, using Mask-ing Level Difference (MLD and Synthetic Sentence Identification (SSI tests, the central auditory func¬tion of stutters and normal group was evaluated.Materials and Methods: In this study was analytic cross-sectional, fifteen male patients with stutter-ing and 15 male normal cases with the age range from 16 to 40 years (average age 26.78 year were evalu¬ated. SSI-ICM, SSI-CCM and MLD tests were performed. The results were compared in both groups.Results: Although stutterers mean MLD was less than that of normal group, the different was not signifi¬cant between stutters and normal group in SSI test in right ear at negative MCRs. There was a signifi¬cant difference in ICM state, but in CCM state, there was no significant difference between the aver¬age score of two groups in various MCRs.Conclusion: The findings of this research is compatible with those of similar researches about the SSI test and the pattern of results, probably indicates a partial dysfunction of brainstem in some of the stutters.

Skin prick test in patients with chronic allergic skin disorders

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Pooja Bains

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Chronic allergic skin disorders are the inflammatory and proliferative conditions in which both genetic and environmental factors play important roles. Chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU and atopic dermatitis (AD are among the most common chronic allergic skin disorders. These can be provoked by various food and aeroallergens. Skin prick tests (SPTs represent the cheapest and most effective method to diagnose type I hypersensitivity. Positive skin tests with a history suggestive of clinical sensitivity strongly incriminate the allergen as a contributor to the disease process. Aim s and Objectives: To determine the incidence of positive SPT in patients with chronic allergic skin disorders and to identify the various allergens implicated in positive SPT. Methods: Fifty patients of chronic allergic disorders were recruited in this study. They were evaluated by SPT with both food and aeroallergens. Results: In our study, SPT positivity in patients of CIU was 63.41% and in AD was 77.78%. Out of the 41 patients of CIU, the most common allergen groups showing SPT positivity were dust and pollen, each comprising 26.83% patients. SPT reaction was positive with food items (21.6%, insects (17.07%, fungus (12.20%, and Dermatophagoides farinae, that is, house dust mite (HDM (7.32%. The allergen which showed maximum positivity was grain dust wheat (19.51%. Among nine patients of AD, maximum SPT positivity was seen with Dermatophagoides farinae, pollen Amaranthus spinosus, grain dust wheat, and cotton mill dust; each comprising 22.22% of patients. Conclusion: Our study showed that a significant number of patients of CIU and AD showed sensitivity to dust, pollen, insects, Dermatophagoides farinae, and fungi on SPT. Thus, it is an important tool in the diagnosis of CIU and AD.

Inter-tester reliability of selected clinical tests for long-lasting temporomandibular disorders.

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Julsvoll, Elisabeth Heggem; Vøllestad, Nina Køpke; Opseth, Gro; Robinson, Hilde Stendal

2017-09-01

Clinical tests used to examine patients with temporomandibular disorders vary in methodological quality, and some are not tested for reliability. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate inter-tester reliability of clinical tests and a cluster of tests used to examine patients with long-lasting temporomandibular disorders. Forty patients with pain in the temporomandibular area treated by health-professionals were included. They were between 18-70 years, had 65 symptomatic (33 right/32 left) and 15 asymptomatic joints. Two manual therapists examined all participants with selected tests. Percentage agreement and the kappa coefficient ( k ) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the tests with categorical outcomes. For tests with continuous outcomes, the relative inter-tester reliability was assessed by the intraclass-correlation-coefficient (ICC 3,1 , 95% CI) and the absolute reliability was calculated by the smallest detectable change (SDC). The best reliability among single tests was found for the dental stick test, the joint-sound test ( k  = 0.80-1.0) and range of mouth-opening (ICC 3,1 (95% CI) = 0.97 (0.95-0.98) and SDC = 4 mm). The reliability of cluster of tests was excellent with both four and five positive tests out of seven. The reliability was good to excellent for the clinical tests and the cluster of tests when performed by experienced therapists. The tests are feasible for use in the clinical setting. They require no advanced equipment and are easy to perform.

Prevalence and correlates of comorbid depression in a nonclinical online sample with DSM-5 internet gaming disorder.

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Wang, Hee Ryung; Cho, Hyun; Kim, Dai-Jin

2018-01-15

We investigated the prevalence and correlates of comorbid depression among patients with internet gaming disorder using the Internet Gaming Disorder scale (IGD-9) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) among nonclinical online survey respondents. Korean adolescents and adults from 14 to 39 years of age were selected. We compared internet gaming use patterns and sociodemographic and clinical variables between patients with internet gaming disorder who had depression and those without depression. In 2016, 7200 people participated in an online survey. Respondents with internet gaming disorder that was comorbid with depression were older, more often female, had greater Internet Addiction Test total scores, Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test total scores, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 total scores, Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence total scores, and higher Dickman Dysfunctional Impulsivity Instrument dysfunctional subscale scores than those without depression. The binary logistic regression analysis revealed that female gender, problematic alcohol use, anxiety, and a past history of psychiatric counseling or treatment due to internet gaming use were significant predictors for comorbid depression among participants with internet gaming disorder. Depression was a common comorbidity of internet gaming disorder. Internet gaming disorder with comorbid depression was related to more serious psychiatric phenomenology and a greater psychiatric burden. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Comorbid mental disorders in substance users from a single catchment area - a clinical study

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Malt Ulrik F

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The optimal treatment of patients with substance use disorders (SUDs requires an awareness of their comorbid mental disorders and vice versa. The prevalence of comorbidity in first-time-admitted SUD patients has been insufficiently studied. Diagnosing comorbidity in substance users is complicated by symptom overlap, symptom fluctuations, and the limitations of the assessment methods. The aim of this study was to diagnose all mental disorders in substance users living in a single catchment area, without any history of treatment for addiction or psychiatric disorders, admitted consecutively to the specialist health services. The prevalence of substance-induced versus substance-independent disorders according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV, in SUD patients will be described. Methods First-time consecutively admitted patients from a single catchment area, aged 16 years or older, admitted to addiction clinics or departments of psychiatry as outpatients or inpatients will be screened for substance-related problems using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test and the Drug Use Disorder Identification Test. All patients with scores above the cutoff value will be asked to participate in the study. The patients included will be diagnosed for SUD and other axis I disorders by a psychiatrist using the Psychiatric Research Interview for Substance and Mental Disorders. This interview was designed for the diagnosis of primary and substance-induced disorders in substance users. Personality disorders will be assessed according to the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV axis II disorders. The Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, the Inventory of Depressive Symptoms, the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale, the Young Mania Rating Scale, and the Angst Hypomania Check List will be used for additional diagnostic assessments. The sociodemographic data will be recorded with the Stanley

Phonon bottleneck identification in disordered nanoporous materials

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Romano, Giuseppe; Grossman, Jeffrey C.

2017-09-01

Nanoporous materials are a promising platform for thermoelectrics in that they offer high thermal conductivity tunability while preserving good electrical properties, a crucial requirement for high-efficiency thermal energy conversion. Understanding the impact of the pore arrangement on thermal transport is pivotal to engineering realistic materials, where pore disorder is unavoidable. Although there has been considerable progress in modeling thermal size effects in nanostructures, it has remained a challenge to screen such materials over a large phase space due to the slow simulation time required for accurate results. We use density functional theory in connection with the Boltzmann transport equation to perform calculations of thermal conductivity in disordered porous materials. By leveraging graph theory and regressive analysis, we identify the set of pores representing the phonon bottleneck and obtain a descriptor for thermal transport, based on the sum of the pore-pore distances between such pores. This approach provide a simple tool to estimate phonon suppression in realistic porous materials for thermoelectric applications and enhance our understanding of heat transport in disordered materials.

Gene expression-based biological test for major depressive disorder: an advanced study

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Watanabe S

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Shin-ya Watanabe,1 Shusuke Numata,1 Jun-ichi Iga,2 Makoto Kinoshita,1 Hidehiro Umehara,1 Kazuo Ishii,3 Tetsuro Ohmori1 1Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, 2Department of Neuropsychiatry, Molecules and Function, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime, 3Department of Applied Biological Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan Purpose: Recently, we could distinguished patients with major depressive disorder (MDD from nonpsychiatric controls with high accuracy using a panel of five gene expression markers (ARHGAP24, HDAC5, PDGFC, PRNP, and SLC6A4 in leukocyte. In the present study, we examined whether this biological test is able to discriminate patients with MDD from those without MDD, including those with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.Patients and methods: We measured messenger ribonucleic acid expression levels of the aforementioned five genes in peripheral leukocytes in 17 patients with schizophrenia and 36 patients with bipolar disorder using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR, and we combined these expression data with our previous expression data of 25 patients with MDD and 25 controls. Subsequently, a linear discriminant function was developed for use in discriminating between patients with MDD and without MDD.Results: This expression panel was able to segregate patients with MDD from those without MDD with a sensitivity and specificity of 64% and 67.9%, respectively.Conclusion: Further research to identify MDD-specific markers is needed to improve the performance of this biological test. Keywords: depressive disorder, biomarker, gene expression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder

Effects of age and cognition on a cross-cultural paediatric adaptation of the Sniffin' Sticks Identification Test.

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Bastos, Laís Orrico Donnabella; Guerreiro, Marilisa Mantovani; Lees, Andrew John; Warner, Thomas T; Silveira-Moriyama, Laura

2015-01-01

To study the effects of age and cognition on the performance of children aged 3 to 18 years on a culturally adapted version of the 16 item smell identification test from Sniffin' Sticks (SS16). A series of pilots were conducted on 29 children aged 3 to 18 years old and 23 adults to produce an adapted version of the SS16 suitable for Brazilian children (SS16-Child). A final version was applied to 51 children alongside a picture identification test (PIT-SS16-Child) to access cognitive abilities involved in the smell identification task. In addition 20 adults performed the same tasks as a comparison group. The final adapted SS16-Child was applied to 51 children with a mean age of 9.9 years (range 3-18 years, SD=4.25 years), of which 68.3% were girls. There was an independent effect of age (pPIT-SS16-Child (p<0.001) on the performance on the SS16-Child, and older children reached the ceiling for scoring in the cognitive and olfactory test. Pre-school children had difficulties identifying items of the test. A cross-culturally adapted version of the SS16 can be used to test olfaction in children but interpretation of the results must take age and cognitive abilities into consideration.

Effects of age and cognition on a cross-cultural paediatric adaptation of the Sniffin' Sticks Identification Test.

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Laís Orrico Donnabella Bastos

Full Text Available To study the effects of age and cognition on the performance of children aged 3 to 18 years on a culturally adapted version of the 16 item smell identification test from Sniffin' Sticks (SS16.A series of pilots were conducted on 29 children aged 3 to 18 years old and 23 adults to produce an adapted version of the SS16 suitable for Brazilian children (SS16-Child. A final version was applied to 51 children alongside a picture identification test (PIT-SS16-Child to access cognitive abilities involved in the smell identification task. In addition 20 adults performed the same tasks as a comparison group.The final adapted SS16-Child was applied to 51 children with a mean age of 9.9 years (range 3-18 years, SD=4.25 years, of which 68.3% were girls. There was an independent effect of age (p<0.05 and PIT-SS16-Child (p<0.001 on the performance on the SS16-Child, and older children reached the ceiling for scoring in the cognitive and olfactory test. Pre-school children had difficulties identifying items of the test.A cross-culturally adapted version of the SS16 can be used to test olfaction in children but interpretation of the results must take age and cognitive abilities into consideration.

[Projective identification in human relations].

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Göka, Erol; Yüksel, Fatih Volkan; Göral, F Sevinç

2006-01-01

Melanie Klein, one of the pioneers of Object Relations Theory, first defined "projective identification", which is regarded as one of the most efficacious psychoanalytic concepts after the discovery of the "unconscious". Examination of the literature on "projective identification" shows that there are various perspectives and theories suggesting different uses of this concept. Some clinicians argue that projective identification is a primitive defense mechanism observed in severe psychopathologies like psychotic disorder and borderline personality disorder, where the intra-psychic structure has been damaged severely. Others suggest it to be an indispensable part of the transference and counter-transference between the therapist and the patient during psychotherapy and it can be used as a treatment material in the therapy by a skillful therapist. The latter group expands the use of the concept through normal daily relationships by stating that projective identification is one type of communication and part of the main human relation mechanism operating in all close relationships. Therefore, they suggest that projective identification has benign forms experienced in human relations as well as malign forms seen in psychopathologies. Thus, discussions about the definition of the concept appear complex. In order to clarify and overcome the complexity of the concept, Melanie Klein's and other most important subsequent approaches are discussed in this review article. Thereby, the article aims to explain its important function in understanding the psychopathologies, psychotherapeutic relationships and different areas of normal human relations.

Difference or disorder? Cultural issues in understanding neurodevelopmental disorders.

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Norbury, Courtenay Frazier; Sparks, Alison

2013-01-01

Developmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder and specific language impairment, are biologically based disorders that currently rely on behaviorally defined criteria for diagnosis and treatment. Specific behaviors that are included in diagnostic frameworks and the point at which individual differences in behavior constitute abnormality are largely arbitrary decisions. Such decisions are therefore likely to be strongly influenced by cultural values and expectations. This is evident in the dramatically different prevalence rates of autism spectrum disorder across countries and across different ethnic groups within the same country. In this article, we critically evaluate the understanding of developmental disorders from a cultural perspective. We specifically consider the challenges of applying diagnostic methods across cultural contexts, the influence of cultural values and expectations on the identification and treatment of children with suspected disorders, and how cross-cultural studies can help to refine cognitive theories of disorder that have been derived exclusively from Western North American and European investigations. Our review synthesizes clinical, cultural, and theoretical work in this area, highlighting potential universals of disorder and concluding with recommendations for future research and practice.

[TCD functional test for vertigo induced by ischemic cerebrovascular disorders].

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Li, Q; Zhong, N; Xue, X

1999-04-01

To diagnose differentially the vetigo induced by some ischemic cerebrovascular disorder. Patients with vertebrobasilar artery transient ischemic vertigo (group A), migraine (group B), hyperventilation syndrome (group C), hypertension (group D) are measured by using TCD functional examination which included blood peak velocity of systolic (Vs) and diastolic (Vd) end-period of vertibrobasilar artery of routine TCD (TCD-R), one minute hyperventilation TCD (TCD-HV) and one minute voluntary apnea TCD (TCD-B) respectively. It showed that the Vs, Vd are decreased under the three conditions in A, B and D groups. The most apparent decrease are obversed in D group. The values of the decrease are similar between group A and B. No changes are found in C group. The abnormal Vs incidences of TCD-B measurement in group A are higher than those in group B and C, but significant lower than those in group D; and in TCD-HV test lower than group D and C, higher than group B; in TCD-R test, lower than group D, and no difference with group B and C. The abnormal incidences of Vd in group A are lower than group D and higher than group B in TCD-B test. In TCD-HV test, the group A abnormol incidences are lower than group D but higher than group B and C. In TCD-R test, the abnormal incidences are lower than group D and no difference between group B and C. The TCD measuremen is useful for differential diagnosis of vertigo induced by ischemic cerebrovascular disorders.

Evaluation of immittance testing for the identification of middle ear pathology in South African mineworkers.

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Habig, A

2004-04-01

Full Text Available The study evaluated immittance measures, specifically tympanometry and acoustic reflex testing, for the identification of middle ear pathology among South African mineworkers. The outcomes of medical history reviews, otoscopy, tympanometry, acoustic...

[The importance of Halmagyi-Curthoys test in standard otoneurological diagnosis of patients with vestibular disorders].

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Marzec, Maria; Pawlak-Osińska, Katarzyna; Kaźmierczak, Henryk

2014-01-01

This given work is dedicated to examine the correlation of results of the ambulant screening vHIT test conducted by applying ICS Impulse device, with results of standard appliance otoneurological videonystagmography (VNG) testing. Comparison of given results will provide assessment of vHIT test effectiveness for otoneurological diagnosis of patients suffering giddiness or any other equilibrium system disorder. Diagnosis was reached with 20 patients suffering vestibular disorders with no specific ailment location. From overall VNG test there was a caloric testing extracted, containing assessment of canal paresis and directional preponderance. Numerical values of these parameters were compared to vHIT test result - the indicator of "gain" eye-ball movement imaging head move, to be specific. Conducted examinations did not reveal any significant correlation between VNG and vHIT parameters however it is need to be emphasized here, that most of the considered cases were not affected but any defect of vestibular canal receptor. Nevertheless, unsettled values of "gain" indicator may signify that vHIT regardless of ailments location is defected. vHIT test with its quantitative analysis may in the future become indicator of auricular disorders. Copyright © 2013 Polish Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Society. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z.o.o. All rights reserved.

Deficits in social cognition and response flexibility in pediatric bipolar disorder.

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McClure, Erin B; Treland, Julia E; Snow, Joseph; Schmajuk, Mariana; Dickstein, Daniel P; Towbin, Kenneth E; Charney, Dennis S; Pine, Daniel S; Leibenluft, Ellen

2005-09-01

Little is known about neuropsychological and social-cognitive function in patients with pediatric bipolar disorder. Identification of specific deficits and strengths that characterize pediatric bipolar disorder would facilitate advances in diagnosis, treatment, and research on pathophysiology. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that youths with bipolar disorder would perform more poorly than matched healthy comparison subjects on measures of social cognition, motor inhibition, and response flexibility. Forty outpatients with pediatric bipolar disorder and 22 comparison subjects (no differences in age, gender, and IQ) completed measures of social cognition (the pragmatic judgment subtest of the Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language, facial expression recognition subtests of the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy Scale, the oral expression subtest of the Test of Language Competence), inhibition and response flexibility (stop and stop-change tasks), and motor inhibition (continuous performance tasks). Pediatric bipolar disorder patients performed more poorly than comparison subjects on social-cognitive measures (pragmatic judgment of language, facial expression recognition) and on a task requiring response flexibility. These deficits were present in euthymic patients. Differences between patients and comparison subjects could not be attributed to comorbid attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Findings of impaired social cognition and response flexibility in youths with pediatric bipolar disorder suggest continuity between pediatric bipolar disorder and adult bipolar disorder. These findings provide a foundation for neurocognitive research designed to identify the neural mechanisms underlying these deficits.

Swimming in Deep Water: Childhood Bipolar Disorder

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Senokossoff, Gwyn W.; Stoddard, Kim

2009-01-01

The authors focused on one parent's struggles in finding a diagnosis and intervention for a child who had bipolar disorder. The authors explain the process of identification, diagnosis, and intervention of a child who had bipolar disorder. In addition to the personal story, the authors provide information on the disorder and outline strategies…

Evaluation of GnRH analogue testing in diagnosis and management of children with pubertal disorders

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Hemchand K Prasad

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Context: Gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH stimulation test is pivotal in the assessment of children with pubertal disorders. However, lack of availability and high cost often result in the test falling into disfavor. We routinely use the GnRH analogue stimulation test as an alternative at our center. Aim: To present the data on children with endocrine disorders who underwent GnRH agonist stimulation test in pediatric endocrine clinic of a tertiary care referral hospital. Setting and Design: Pediatric endocrine clinic of a tertiary care referral hospital. Retrospective analysis of case records. Materials and Methods: The details pertaining to clinical and radiological parameters and hormonal tests were retrieved from case records of 15 children who underwent GnRH agonist stimulation test from May 2010 to April 2011. Results: Indications for testing with GnRH analogue were evaluation of delayed puberty, diagnosis of precocious puberty, assessment of hormonal suppression in treatment of precocious puberty and micropenis in two, nine, three and one cases, respectively. The results of the test and clinical and radiological parameters were in concordance. The test was also crucial in diagnosing the onset of central precocious puberty in two children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Conclusion: GnRH agonist test is a convenient, safe test that can be performed on an out-patient basis and can help the clinicians in the correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment of various puberty-related disorders.

Remote spectroscopic identification of bloodstains

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bremmer, Rolf H.; Edelman, Gerda; Vegter, Tessa Dijn; Bijvoets, Ted; Aalders, Maurice C. G.

2011-01-01

Blood detection and identification at crime scenes are crucial for harvesting forensic evidence. Unfortunately, most tests for the identification of blood are destructive and time consuming. We present a fast and nondestructive identification test for blood, using noncontact reflectance

A prospective cohort study of light transmission platelet aggregometry for bleeding disorders: is testing native platelet-rich plasma non-inferior to testing platelet count adjusted samples?

Science.gov (United States)

Castilloux, Jean Francois; Moffat, Karen A; Liu, Yang; Seecharan, Jodi; Pai, Menaka; Hayward, Catherine P M

2011-10-01

Light transmission platelet aggregometry (LTA) is important to diagnose bleeding disorders. Experts recommend testing LTA with native (N) rather than platelet count adjusted (A) platelet-rich plasma (PRP), although it is unclear if this provides non-inferior, or superior, detection of bleeding disorders. Our goal was to determine if LTA with NPRP is non-inferior to LTA with APRP for bleeding disorder assessments. A prospective cohort of patients, referred for bleeding disorder testing, and healthy controls, were evaluated by LTA using common agonists, NPRP and APRP (adjusted to 250 x 10⁹ platelets/l). Recruitment continued until 40 controls and 40 patients with definite bleeding disorders were tested. Maximal aggregation (MA) data were assessed for the detection of abnormalities from bleeding disorders (all causes combined to limit bias), using sample-type specific reference intervals. Areas under receiver-operator curves (AUROC) were evaluated using pre-defined criteria (area differences: 0 for superiority). Forty-four controls and 209 patients were evaluated. Chart reviews for 169 patients indicated 67 had bleeding disorders, 28 from inherited platelet secretion defects. Mean MA differences between NPRP and APRP were small for most agonists (ranges, controls: -3.3 to 5.8; patients: -3.0 to 13.7). With both samples, reduced MA with two or more agonists was associated with a bleeding disorder. AUROC differences between NPRP and APRP were small and indicated that NPRP were non-inferior to APRP for detecting bleeding disorders by LTA, whereas APRP met superiority criteria. Our study validates using either NPRP or APRP for LTA assessments of bleeding disorders.

Test-retest reliability of the eating disorder examination-questionnaire (EDE-Q) in a college sample

OpenAIRE

Rose, Jennifer S; Vaewsorn, Adin; Rosselli-Navarra, Francine; Wilson, G Terence; Weissman, Ruth Striegel

2013-01-01

Background The Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q), a widely used self-report instrument, is often used for measuring change in eating disorder symptoms over the course of treatment. However, limited data exist about test-retest reliability, particularly for men. The current study evaluated EDE-Q 7-day test-retest reliability in male (n = 47) and female (n = 44) undergraduate students together and separately by gender. Results Internal consistency was consistently higher for wom...

Determinants of common mental disorder, alcohol use disorder and cognitive morbidity among people coming for HIV testing in Goa, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Mayston, Rosie; Patel, Vikram; Abas, Melanie; Korgaonkar, Priya; Paranjape, Ramesh; Rodrigues, Savio; Prince, Martin

2015-03-01

To investigate associations between background characteristics (psychosocial adversity, risk behaviours/perception of risk and HIV-related knowledge, perceptions and beliefs) and psychological and cognitive morbidity among people coming for testing for HIV/AIDS in Goa, India. Analysis of cross-sectional baseline data (plus HIV status) from a prospective cohort study. Participants were recruited at the time of coming for HIV testing. Consistent with associations found among general population samples, among our sample of 1934 participants, we found that indicators of psychosocial adversity were associated with CMD (common mental disorder - major depression, generalised anxiety and panic disorder) among people coming for testing for HIV. Similarly, perpetration of intimate partner violence was associated with AUD (alcohol use disorder). Two STI symptoms were associated with CMD, and sex with a non-primary partner was associated with AUD. Suboptimal knowledge about HIV transmission and prevention was associated with low cognitive test scores. In contrast with other studies, we found no evidence of any association between stigma and CMD. There was no evidence of modification of associations by HIV status. Among people coming for testing for HIV/AIDS in Goa, India, we found that CMD occurred in the context of social and economic stressors (violence, symptoms of STI, poor education and food insecurity) and AUD was associated with violence and risky sexual behaviour. Further research is necessary to understand the role of gender, stigma and social norms in determining the relationship between sexual and mental health. Understanding associations between these background characteristics and psychological morbidity may help inform the design of appropriate early interventions for depression among people newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Clinical identification of compensatory structures on projective tests: a self psychological approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Silverstein, M L

2001-06-01

In this article I discuss compensatory structure, a concept from Kohut's (1971, 1977) psychology of the self that is not as familiar as Kohut's other views about the self. Compensatory structures are attempts to repair selfobject failure, usually by strengthening idealization or twinship in the face of mirroring deficits. Compensatory structures, particularly their early indications, can be detected on projective tests for identifying adaptive resources and treatment potential. The clinical identification of compensatory structures on test findings is described using Rorschach and Thematic Apperception Test (Murray, 1943) content. Particular attention is devoted to the 2-part process of demonstrating first, an injury to the self, and second, how attempts to recover from such injuries can be detected on projective tests. Clinical examples are provided, and the differentiation between compensatory structures and defenses and sublimation is discussed.

Bipolar disorder diagnosis: challenges and future directions

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Mary L; Kupfer, David J

2018-01-01

Bipolar disorder refers to a group of affective disorders, which together are characterised by depressive and manic or hypomanic episodes. These disorders include: bipolar disorder type I (depressive and manic episodes: this disorder can be diagnosed on the basis of one manic episode); bipolar disorder type II (depressive and hypomanic episodes); cyclothymic disorder (hypomanic and depressive symptoms that do not meet criteria for depressive episodes); and bipolar disorder not otherwise specified (depressive and hypomanic-like symptoms that do not meet the diagnostic criteria for any of the aforementioned disorders). Bipolar disorder type II is especially difficult to diagnose accurately because of the difficulty in differentiation of this disorder from recurrent unipolar depression (recurrent depressive episodes) in depressed patients. The identification of objective biomarkers that represent pathophysiologic processes that differ between bipolar disorder and unipolar depression can both inform bipolar disorder diagnosis and provide biological targets for the development of new and personalised treatments. Neuroimaging studies could help the identification of biomarkers that differentiate bipolar disorder from unipolar depression, but the problem in detection of a clear boundary between these disorders suggests that they might be better represented as a continuum of affective disorders. Innovative combinations of neuroimaging and pattern recognition approaches can identify individual patterns of neural structure and function that accurately ascertain where a patient might lie on a behavioural scale. Ultimately, an integrative approach, with several biological measurements using different scales, could yield patterns of biomarkers (biosignatures) to help identify biological targets for personalised and new treatments for all affective disorders. PMID:23663952

Quantitative genetic analysis of anxiety trait in bipolar disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Contreras, J; Hare, E; Chavarría, G; Raventós, H

2018-01-01

Bipolar disorder type I (BPI) affects approximately 1% of the world population. Although genetic influences on bipolar disorder are well established, identification of genes that predispose to the illness has been difficult. Most genetic studies are based on categorical diagnosis. One strategy to overcome this obstacle is the use of quantitative endophenotypes, as has been done for other medical disorders. We studied 619 individuals, 568 participants from 61 extended families and 51 unrelated healthy controls. The sample was 55% female and had a mean age of 43.25 (SD 13.90; range 18-78). Heritability and genetic correlation of the trait scale from the Anxiety State and Trait Inventory (STAI) was computed by using the general linear model (SOLAR package software). we observed that anxiety trait meets the following criteria for an endophenotype of bipolar disorder type I (BPI): 1) association with BPI (individuals with BPI showed the highest trait score (F = 15.20 [5,24], p = 0.009), 2) state-independence confirmed after conducting a test-retest in 321 subjects, 3) co-segregation within families 4) heritability of 0.70 (SE: 0.060), p = 2.33 × 10 -14 and 5) genetic correlation with BPI was 0.20, (SE = 0.17, p = 3.12 × 10 -5 ). Confounding factors such as comorbid disorders and pharmacological treatment could affect the clinical relationship between BPI and anxiety trait. Further research is needed to evaluate if anxiety traits are specially related to BPI in comparison with other traits such as anger, attention or response inhibition deficit, pathological impulsivity or low self-directedness. Anxiety trait is a heritable phenotype that follows a normal distribution when measured not only in subjects with BPI but also in unrelated healthy controls. It could be used as an endophenotype in BPI for the identification of genomic regions with susceptibility genes for this disorder. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Identification of suicidal ideations with the help of projective tests: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Devvarta; Nizamie, S Haque; Abhishek, Priyadarshee; Prasanna, Lavanya Tumkur

2014-12-01

Identification of the presence of suicidal ideations in an individual is crucial for the timely intervention. However, these ideations may remain unidentified as an individual with serious intentions of self-harm may not express them explicitly. Various projective tests can provide crucial clues to clinicians about the presence of suicidal ideations in an individual's mind. The present review is intended to update clinicians working in the field of suicide prevention about salient findings on these tests which can serve as a ready reckoner for them. We also highlight the status of research in this domain. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparative Study of Children with ADHD Only, Autism Spectrum Disorder + ADHD, and Chronic Multiple Tic Disorder + ADHD

Science.gov (United States)

Gadow, Kenneth D.; DeVincent, Carla J.; Schneider, Jayne

2009-01-01

Objective: Identification of differences among children with ADHD only, autism spectrum disorder (ASD)+ADHD, and chronic multiple tic disorder (CMTD)+ADHD may lead to better understanding of clinical phenotypes. Method: Children were evaluated using the parent- and teacher-completed questionnaires. Results: All three groups were highly similar in…

Risk for exercise dependence, eating disorder pathology, alcohol use disorder and addictive behaviors among clients of fitness centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Müller, Astrid; Loeber, Sabine; Söchtig, Johanna; Te Wildt, Bert; De Zwaan, Martina

2015-12-01

Exercise dependence (EXD) is considered a behavioral addiction that is often associated with eating disorders. To date, only few studies examined the potential overlap between EXD and other addictive behaviors. Therefore, the present study aimed at investigating the relationship of EXD with pathological buying, pathological video gaming (offline and online), hypersexual behavior, and alcohol use disorder in a sample of clients of fitness centers. The following questionnaires were answered by 128 individuals (age M = 26.5, SD = 6.7 years; 71.7% men, 74.2% university students): Exercise Dependence Scale, Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire, Compulsive Buying Scale, Pathological Computer-Gaming Scale, Hypersexual Behavior Inventory, and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). 7.8% of the sample were at-risk for EXD, 10.9% reported eating disorder pathology, 2.3% pathological buying, 3.1% hypersexual behavior, and none of the participants suffered from pathological video gaming. The criteria for severe alcohol disorder pathology (AUDIT ≥ 16) were fulfilled by 10.2%. With regard to continuous symptom scores, EXD symptoms were positively correlated with both eating disorder pathology and pathological buying but not with pathological video gaming, hypersexuality or alcohol use disorder. It is noteworthy that more symptoms of pathological buying corresponded with more symptoms of hypersexual behavior. The correlation pattern did not differ by gender. The co-occurrence of EXD, pathological buying and hypersexual behavior on a subclinical level or in the early stage of the disorders should be taken into account when assessing and treating patients. More research is warranted in order to investigate possible interactions between these conditions.

Choking under the pressure of a positive stereotype: gender identification and self-consciousness moderate men's math test performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Tagler, Michael J

2012-01-01

Choking under pressure occurs when an individual underperforms due to situational pressure. The present study examined whether being the target of a positive social stereotype regarding math ability causes choking among men. Gender identification and self-consciousness were hypothesized to moderate the effect of math-gender stereotypes on men's math test performance. Men high in self-consciousness but low in gender identification significantly underperformed when exposed to gender-relevant test instructions. No significant effects were found under a gender-irrelevant condition. These findings are discussed in the contexts of research on stereotype threat, stereotype lift, and choking under pressure.

Knowing One's Place: Parental Educational Background Influences Social Identification with Academia, Test Anxiety, and Satisfaction with Studying at University.

Science.gov (United States)

Janke, Stefan; Rudert, Selma C; Marksteiner, Tamara; Dickhäuser, Oliver

2017-01-01

First-generation students (i.e., students whose parents did not attend university) often experience difficulties fitting in with the social environment at universities. This experience of personal misfit is supposedly associated with an impaired social identification with their aspired in-group of academics compared to continuing-generation students (i.e., students with at least one parent with an academic degree. In this article, we investigate how the postulated differences in social identification with the group of academics affect first-generation students' satisfaction with studying and test anxiety over time. We assume that first-generation students' impaired social identification with the group of academics leads to decreased satisfaction with studying and aggravated test anxiety over the course of the first academic year. In a longitudinal study covering students' first year at a German university, we found that continuing-generation students consistently identified more strongly with their new in-group of academics than first-generation students. The influence of social identification on test anxiety and satisfaction with studying differed between groups. For continuing-generation students, social identification with the group of academics buffered test anxiety and helped them maintain satisfaction with studying over time. We could not find these direct effects within the group of first-generation students. Instead, first-generation students were more sensitive to effects of test anxiety on satisfaction with studying and vice versa over time. The results suggest that first-generation students might be more sensitive to the anticipation of academic failure. Furthermore, continuing-generation students' social identification with the group of academics might have buffered them against the impact of negative experiences during the entry phase at university. Taken together, our findings underscore that deficit-driven approaches focusing solely on first

Relationship between smell identification testing and the neuropsychological assessment of dementia in community-dwelling adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Goette, William; Schmitt, Andrew; Clark, Avery

2017-11-28

The objective of this research was to investigate the relationship of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) with neuropsychological tests and identify the utility of the UPSIT in detecting cognitive impairment. This research was an archival study of neuropsychological test results obtained from 70 clients (30 male/40 female) of a community-based memory clinic. The sample had an average age of 69.7 (SD = 9.7) and education of 14.6 (SD = 2.8) years. Hypotheses were tested using correlations, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and logistic regression. The UPSIT showed significant, weak to moderate correlations with neuropsychological tests. The UPSIT raw score correlated significantly with all but one cognitive ability domain. The UPSIT T-score was significantly correlated with all cognitive domains. Obtained areas under the ROC curve (AUC) for the UPSIT ranged from .60 to .87. The AUCs of the UPSIT did not differ significantly from verbal semantic fluency tests, but the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status Total Scale and Delayed Memory index tended to produce larger AUCs than the UPSIT. Results from step-wise logistic regressions suggest that the UPSIT raw score provides unique information beyond its relationship to age. Olfaction relates broadly to cognitive ability and may be sensitive to early symptoms of cognitive decline. Further research is needed to explore the relationships between smell identification tests and neuropsychological assessment.

Trends in cytogenetic testing and identification of chromosomal abnormalities among pregnancies and children with birth defects, metropolitan Atlanta, 1968-2005.

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Jodi M; Crider, Krista S; Rasmussen, Sonja A; Cragan, Janet D; Olney, Richard S

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in the use of cytogenetic testing and identification of chromosomal abnormalities among pregnancies and children with birth defects. Utilizing data from 1968 to 2005 from the Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program, we analyzed trends in the frequency and timing (prenatal or postnatal) of cytogenetic testing and the prevalence of recognized chromosome abnormalities among pregnancies and children with birth defects (n = 51,424). Cytogenetic testing of pregnancies and children with birth defects increased from 7.2% in 1968 to 25.0% in 2005, as did the identification of chromosomal abnormalities (2.2% in 1968 to 6.8% in 2005). The use of prenatal cytogenetic testing decreased from 1996 to 2005 among women aged ≥35 years. Identification of chromosomal abnormalities in pregnancies and children with birth defects increased from 1968 to 2005, possibly due to increased testing, improved diagnostic techniques, or increasing maternal age. The decline in prenatal cytogenetic testing observed among mothers aged ≥35 years may be related to the availability of improved prenatal screening techniques, resulting in a reduction in the utilization of invasive diagnostic tests. Published 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Tourette disorder and other tic disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez, Thomas V; State, Matthew W; Pittenger, Christopher

2018-01-01

Tourette disorder is a developmental neuropsychiatric condition characterized by vocal and motor tics that can range in severity from mild to disabling. It represents one end of a spectrum of tic disorders and is estimated to affect 0.5-0.7% of the population. Accumulated evidence supports a substantial genetic contribution to disease risk, but the identification of genetic variants that confer risk has been challenging. Positive findings in candidate gene association studies have not replicated, and genomewide association studies have not generated signals of genomewide significance, in large part because of inadequate sample sizes. Rare mutations in several genes have been identified, but their causality is difficult to establish. As in other complex neuropsychiatric disorders, it is likely that Tourette disorder risk involves a combination of common, low-effect and rare, larger-effect variants in multiple genes acting together with environmental factors. With the ongoing collection of larger patient cohorts and the emergence of affordable high-throughput genomewide sequencing, progress is expected to accelerate in coming years. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimization of inverse model identification for multi-axial test rig control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Müller Tino

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Laboratory testing of multi-axial fatigue situations improves repeatability and allows a time condensing of tests which can be carried out until component failure, compared to field testing. To achieve realistic and convincing durability results, precise load data reconstruction is necessary. Cross-talk and a high number of degrees of freedom negatively affect the control accuracy. Therefore a multiple input/multiple output (MIMO model of the system, capturing all inherent cross-couplings is identified. In a first step the model order is estimated based on the physical fundamentals of a one channel hydraulic-servo system. Subsequently, the structure of the MIMO model is optimized using correlation of the outputs, to increase control stability and reduce complexity of the parameter optimization. The identification process is successfully applied to the iterative control of a multi-axial suspension rig. The results show accurate control, with increased stability compared to control without structure optimization.

[Clinical study of comparing comorbidity between depression and neurological disorder with depressive disorder].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jing; He, Mao-Lin; Li, Shun-Wei

2010-01-26

To compare the clinical traits in comorbidity between depression and neurological disorder with depressive disorder and explore the characteristic of the outpatients with neurological disorder comorbidity in depression. According to Diagnosis and Statistic Manual for Mental Disorder-IV (DSM-IV) criteria, outpatients were diagnosed as depressive disorder at Departments of Neurology and Psychology. We used HAMD-17 scale to evaluate the patient's severity. There was no statistical difference in severity of depression in two groups. But the clinical traits showed significant differences between two outpatient groups: the outpatients with neurological disorder comorbidity in depression were elder, had more somatic disorders and a higher retard symptom factor score while the other are relative younger, have less physical disorders and higher the core symptom factor score on the other hand. The patients of comorbidity between depression and neurological disorders have unique clinical traits. Thus it will be helpful to improve the identification of diagnosis and choose an appropriate treatment if we know the differences well.

Substance Use Disorders Among Danish Physicians: An Explorative Study of the Professional Socialization and Management of Colleagues With Substance Use Disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Srensen, Johanne Korsdal; Pedersen, Anette Fischer; Vedsted, Peter; Bruun, Niels Henrik; Christensen, Bo

2016-01-01

This study has 2 aims. Firstly, we explore and analyze the associations between physicians' unhealthy substance use and various work-cultural and social aspects; secondly, we describe how substance use disorder (SUD defined as by Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test [AUDIT] and Drug Use Disorders Identification Test [DUDIT]) among colleagues is managed and how physicians seek help. During the spring of 2014, a nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted as an anonymous electronic survey among a randomly weighted sample of medical specialists, junior hospital doctors, and general practitioners in Denmark. A total of 4000 physicians (approximately 1333 from each group) were sampled, and 1943 responded (49%). The survey included the AUDIT, the DUDIT, and questions on health and psychological issues. Among the physicians in our study, 18.3% had an AUDIT exceeding 8 (hazardous or harmful alcohol use) and 3.2% had a DUDIT exceeding 1. Of these, 12.9% reported that their substance use had negative consequences for their social networks, and 34% to 42% reported no openness about substance use at their workplace. In total, 4 physicians (1%) of the 383 physicians with risky substance use reported to have been in regular treatment for SUDs. Most of the physicians with an unhealthy consumption of substances (78%) reported that it was irrelevant for them to seek help. Half of them reported that they had limited or insufficient knowledge of SUD. Around 55% of the physicians would encourage colleagues with SUDs to seek treatment. Around 50% of physicians reported that their "SUD knowledge" was relevant, but limited or not satisfactory. One-third never experienced openness about SUD at work. More than half wished to encourage a colleague with SUD to seek treatment. Three quarters of the physicians with unhealthy substance use reported that they found it irrelevant to seek help.

Test Review: Gilliam, J. E. (2015), "Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Test" (2nd Ed) [Assessment Instrument]. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.

Science.gov (United States)

Perdue, Elizabeth A.

2016-01-01

The "Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Test-Second Edition" (ADHDT-2) is published through Pro-Ed in Austin, Texas. It was formally published in 2014, following critical revisions of the ADHDT, the reportedly popular initial version of this test that was published in 1995. The ADHDT-2 purports to act as a screener for individuals…

Early Evolution of the Toxicity Identification Evaluation Process: Contributions from the USEPA Effluent Testing Program

Science.gov (United States)

As part of its whole effluent testing program, the USEPA developed an effects-directed analysis (EDA) approach to identifying the cause of toxicity in toxic effluents or ambient waters, an EDA process termed a “Toxicity Identification Evaluation” (TIE), which is the focus of this...

Age effects and normative data on a Dutch test battery for auditory processing disorders.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Neijenhuis, C.A.M.; Snik, A.F.M.; Priester, G.; Kordenoordt, S. van; Broek, P. van den

2002-01-01

A test battery compiled to diagnose auditory processing disorders (APDs) in an adult population was used on a population of 9-16-year-old children. The battery consisted of eight tests (words -in noise, filtered speech, binaural fusion, dichotic digits, frequency and duration patterns, backward

Development of a PCR test for identification of Haemophilus somnus in pure and mixed cultures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Angen, Øystein; Ahrens, Peter; Tegtmeier, Conny

1998-01-01

a single colony of H. somnus in the presence of 10(9) CFU of P. multocida even after 2 days of incubation. In conclusion, the present PCR test has been shown to represent a specific test for identification of H. somnus both in pure and mixed cultures. It represents a quick, sensitive and reliable method...... rise to an amplicon in the PCR test. The performance of the test on mixed cultures was evaluated by adding P. multocida to serial dilutions of H. somnus and incubating the agarplates for 1 and 2 days. This showed that the PCR test applied to the harvest from an agarplate can be expected to detect...

The polaroid suppression test in a pediatric population with ophthalmologic disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Pott, Jan Willem R; Kingma, C; Verhoeff, K; Grootendorst, R J; de Faber, J T H N

2003-04-01

The Polaroid suppression test (PST) is a new method for early detection of amblyogenic factors by screening for suppression. The apparatus can elicit suppression with the use of Polaroid filters. The aim of the present study was to examine a population of children with known ophthalmologic disorders using the PST to determine the rate of false-negative results of the PST. Six hundred four children, varying in age between 3 and 15 years (mean, 7.9) were examined using the PST. Ophthalmologic disorders ranged from strabismus and amblyopia to refractive disorders. Mean testing time for the PST was 43 seconds. The PST could not be administered to 34 children (5.6%); 443 children (73.3%) had abnormal results; and 127 children (22.2%) showed no suppression. The suppression in constant strabismus was detected in almost all cases. The sensitivity for accommodative forms of strabismus was lower, but amblyopia was never missed in these cases. In children with normal eye alignment, only 2.7% with an interocular acuity difference of more than 0.1 logMAR had no suppression. Of all 119 children with clinical defined amblyopia, only 1 (0.8%) did not have suppression. Overall sensitivity of the PST for strabismus and/or abnormal interocular acuity difference was 96.2% and specificity was 41.1%. The PST has great potential as a visual screening tool in young children. Only few children with amblyogenic factors were missed. Thus, the test can differentiate those children at risk for amblyopia from normally sighted children. Because specificity is lower, all children showing suppression with the PST in a screening situation should have further examination by the health care worker before being referred to the ophthalmologist.

Modal testing and identification of a PWR fuel assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pisapia, S.; Collard, B.; Mori, V.; Bellizzi, S.

2003-01-01

This study aims at characterizing the vibratory behavior of a full-scale fuel assembly using an experimental approach. The effect of the assembly environment (air, stagnant water, and water under flow) is studied. The analysis of the test series shows that the vibratory behavior of full-scale fuel assembly is strongly nonlinear. An identification phase, based on temporal mean square criterion, allows us to obtain a nonlinear model representative of the first vibration mode of a fuel assembly. The selected class of models including damping and stiffness nonlinear terms is efficient in air, in stagnant water, and in water under flow. In all environments, the stiffness decreases with the displacement level and the damping increases with the velocity level. In the presence of water, the damping goes up and increases again with flowrate. (author)

Predictive genetic tests: problems and pitfalls.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, J G

1997-12-29

The role that genetic factors play in medicine has expanded, owing to such recent advances as those made by the Human Genome Project and the work that has spun off from it. The project is focusing particularly on localization and characterization of recognized human genetic disorders, which in turn increases awareness of the potential for improved treatment of these disorders. Technical advances in genetic testing in the absence of effective treatment has presented the health profession with major ethical challenges. The example of the identification of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in families at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer is presented to illustrate the issues of the sensitivity of the method, the degree of susceptibility a positive result implies, the need for and availability of counseling and patient education, and confidentiality of the test results. A compelling need exists for adequate education about medical genetics to raise the "literacy" rate among health professionals.

Validity of the Eating Attitudes Test and the Eating Disorders Inventory in Bulimia Nervosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, Janet; And Others

1986-01-01

Assessed criterion and concurrent validity of the Eating Attitudes Test and the Eating Disorder Inventory in 82 women with bulimia nervosa. Both tests demonstrated criterion validity by discriminating bulimia nervosa subjects from normals. Only weak support was found for concurrent validity within bulimia subjects. Recommends combination of…

Prospective progression from high-prevalence disorders to bipolar disorder: Exploring characteristics of pre-illness stages.

Science.gov (United States)

Ratheesh, Aswin; Cotton, Susan M; Betts, Jennifer K; Chanen, Andrew; Nelson, Barnaby; Davey, Christopher G; McGorry, Patrick D; Berk, Michael; Bechdolf, Andreas

2015-09-01

Identification of risk factors within precursor syndromes, such as depression, anxiety or substance use disorders (SUD), might help to pinpoint high-risk stages where preventive interventions for Bipolar Disorder (BD) could be evaluated. We examined baseline demographic, clinical, quality of life, and temperament measures along with risk clusters among 52 young people seeking help for depression, anxiety or SUDs without psychosis or BD. The risk clusters included Bipolar At-Risk (BAR) and the Bipolarity Index as measures of bipolarity and the Ultra-High Risk assessment for psychosis. The participants were followed up for 12 months to identify conversion to BD. Those who converted and did not convert to BD were compared using Chi-Square and Mann Whitney U tests. The sample was predominantly female (85%) and a majority had prior treatment (64%). Four participants converted to BD over the 1-year follow up period. Having an alcohol use disorder at baseline (75% vs 8%, χ(2)=14.1, pdepressive symptoms and cannabis use had high effects sizes of association with BD outcomes, without statistical significance. The small number of conversions limited the power of the study to identify associations with risk factors that have previously been reported to predict BD. However, subthreshold affective symptoms and SUDs might predict the onset of BD among help-seeking young people with high-prevalence disorders. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Design of a sentence identification test with pictures (TIS-F based on the pediatric speech intelligibility test

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernanda Freitas Vellozo

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Purposes: to design a sentence identification test with pictures for adults (Teste de Identificação de Sentenças com Figuras (TIS-F as an alternative for evaluation of auditory figure-background ability for verbal sounds, based on the Pediatric Speech Intelligibility Test and also for assessment of unskillful individuals who cannot accomplish other tests with higher levels of difficulty and greater demands. Methods: the Adobe Illustrator software was used and the image vectorization technique applied for figures creation. The sentences and the competitive message were audio-recorded in a sound treated room by a female announcer, using the software - REAPER - FM Digital Audio Workstation. Results: the TIS-F consisted of a 32 x 45 cm card, containing 10 figures, each one measuring 12 x 12 cm; one compact disc containing a track with the test calibration tone and seven test tracks, each one containing ten sentences and a competitive message and a specific protocol. Conclusion: the TIS-F is composed of a compact disc with dual-channel recording, with seven tracks containing ten sentences and the competitive story, one card containing ten pictures and a labeling protocol for all presentations and S/N in use, as well as the established normality values.

Female patient with autistic disorder, intellectual disability, and co-morbid anxiety disorder: Expanding the phenotype associated with the recurrent 3q13.2-q13.31 microdeletion.

Science.gov (United States)

Quintela, Ines; Gomez-Guerrero, Lorena; Fernandez-Prieto, Montse; Resches, Mariela; Barros, Francisco; Carracedo, Angel

2015-12-01

In recent years, the advent of comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays and its use as a first genetic test for the diagnosis of patients with neurodevelopmental phenotypes has allowed the identification of novel submicroscopic chromosomal abnormalities (namely, copy number variants or CNVs), imperceptible by conventional cytogenetic techniques. The 3q13.31 microdeletion syndrome (OMIM #615433) has been defined as a genomic disorder mainly characterized by developmental delay, postnatal overgrowth, hypotonia, genital abnormalities in males, and characteristic craniofacial features. Although the 3q13.31 CNVs are variable in size, a 3.4 Mb recurrently altered region at 3q13.2-q13.31 has been recently described and non-allelic homologous recombination (NAHR) mediated by flanking human endogenous retrovirus (HERV-H) elements has been suggested as the mechanism of deletion formation. We expand the phenotypic spectrum associated with this recurrent deletion performing the clinical description of a 9-year-old female patient with autistic disorder, total absence of language, intellectual disability, anxiety disorder and disruptive, and compulsive eating behaviors. The array-based molecular karyotyping allowed the identification of a de novo recurrent 3q13.2-q13.31 deletion encompassing 25 genes. In addition, we compare her clinical phenotype with previous reports of patients with neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders and proximal 3q microdeletions. Finally, we also review the candidate genes proposed so far for these phenotypes. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Association of attention-deficit hyperkinetic disorder with alcohol use disorders in fishermen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manoj Kumar

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Alcohol use is a widely prevalent problem and poses hazard during work for certain groups such as fishermen. Disorders such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperkinetic Disorder (ADHD correlate with early onset and greater severity of alcohol use disorders. Aims: We planned to study the frequency of ADHD among fishermen in a fishing hamlet of southern India using adult ADHD self-reported scale (ASRS and correlated with the severity of alcohol use disorder as evidenced by age at initiation of alcohol use, presence of harmful use, or dependence use as defined by Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT. Subjects and Methods: This was a community-based interview using AUDIT questionnaire for severity of alcohol use and the ASRS to detect ADHD. Results: The prevalence of adult ADHD among fishermen in this study was 25.7% using the critical items of the ASRS. ADHD was about twice as likely in participants with dependence as those without dependence (odds ratio = 2.10. ADHD was also more likely in participants with onset of use before 30 years of age than others (25.1% vs. 15.4% (P = 0.27. Discussion: We found a high frequency of alcohol use among fishermen (79.8%. However, only 9.9% had alcohol dependence which is higher than the general population (2.3% in the region. Fishermen with alcohol dependence were twice as likely to have ADHD as those without alcohol dependence. Conclusion: In a community-based survey of fishermen, the prevalence of alcohol dependence was about 10%. The presence of alcohol dependence predicted a two times higher likelihood of ADHD among fishermen than those without alcohol dependence.

Teaching Students with Emotional Disorders and/or Mental Illnesses.

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Alberta Learning, Edmonton.

This resource manual is designed to assist Alberta teachers in the identification and education of students with emotional disorders and/or mental illnesses. It takes a comprehensive look at six emotional disorders. The first section focuses on eating disorders. It describes the characteristics and symptoms of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa,…

Identification and Referral of Patients at Risk for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: A Literature Review and Retrospective Analysis.

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Bolduc, Aaron; Hwang, Brice; Hogan, Christopher; Bhalla, Varun K; Nesmith, Elizabeth; Medeiros, Regina; Alexander, Cassie; Holsten, Steven B

2015-09-01

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a well-established psychological disorder after severe traumatic injury but remains poorly recognized. Recent changes in the "Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Trauma Patient 2014" stress the need for comprehensive screening and referral for PTSD and depression after injury. Our purpose was to review the current PTSD literature and perform a retrospective chart review to evaluate screening at our institution. We hypothesized a lack of documentation and thus referral of these patients to mental health professionals. We performed a literature review of 43 publications of risk factors for PTSD in the civilian adult population followed by a retrospective review. Records were analyzed for basic demographics, risk factors found in the literature, and referrals to mental health providers. Risk factors included amputation, dissociative symptoms, female gender, history of mental health disorder, and peri-traumatic emotionality. Traumatic amputation status and gender were recorded in all patients. History of mental health disorder was present in 11.5 per cent patients, absent in 80.75 per cent, and not recorded in 7.75 per cent with an overall documentation of 91.75 per cent. Dissociative symptoms and peri-traumatic emotionality were recorded in 0.5 per cent and 1.0 per cent of patients, respectively. Only 13 patients of 400 (3.25%) were referred to mental health professionals. Despite extensive evidence and literature supporting risk factors for the development of PTSD, identification and treatment at our level 1 trauma center is lacking. There is a need for consistent screening among trauma centers to identify PTSD risk factors and protocols for risk reduction and referrals for patients at risk.

Medical comorbidity of sleep disorders.

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Dikeos, Dimitris; Georgantopoulos, Georgios

2011-07-01

Recently published literature indicates that sleep disorders present with medical comorbidities quite frequently. The coexistence of a sleep disorder with a medical disorder has a substantial impact for both the patient and the health system. Insomnia and hypersomnia are highly comorbid with medical conditions, such as chronic pain and diabetes, as well as with various cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, urinary and neurological disorders. Restless legs syndrome and periodic leg movement syndrome have been associated with iron deficiency, kidney disease, diabetes, and neurological, autoimmune, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders. Rapid eye movement behaviour disorder has been described as an early manifestation of serious central nervous system diseases; thus, close neurological monitoring of patients referring with this complaint is indicated. Identification and management of any sleep disorder in medical patients is important for optimizing the course and prognosis. Of equal importance is the search for undetected medical disorder in patients presenting with sleep disorders.

Developing Undergraduate Coursework in Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Masterson, Tracy Loye; Dimitriou, Francine; Turko, Kristine; McPartland, James

2014-01-01

With rates of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) continuing to rise alongside improvements in early identification and treatment, service providers are in great demand. Providing undergraduate students with opportunities for education and applied experiences with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can help fill a valuable niche in the autism community.…

Differential diagnosis of bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder.

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Hirschfeld, R M

2014-12-01

Patients with bipolar disorder spend approximately half of their lives symptomatic and the majority of that time suffering from symptoms of depression, which complicates the accurate diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Challenges in the differential diagnosis of bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder are reviewed, and the clinical utility of several screening instruments is evaluated. The estimated lifetime prevalence of major depressive disorder (i.e., unipolar depression) is over 3 and one-half times that of bipolar spectrum disorders. The clinical presentation of a major depressive episode in a bipolar disorder patient does not differ substantially from that of a patient with major depressive disorder (unipolar depression). Therefore, it is not surprising that without proper screening and comprehensive evaluation many patients with bipolar disorder may be misdiagnosed with major depressive disorder (unipolar depression). In general, antidepressants have demonstrated little or no efficacy for depressive episodes associated with bipolar disorder, and treatment guidelines recommend using antidepressants only as an adjunct to mood stabilizers for patients with bipolar disorder. Thus, correct identification of bipolar disorder among patients who present with depression is critical for providing appropriate treatment and improving patient outcomes. Clinical characteristics indicative of bipolar disorder versus major depressive disorder identified in this review are based on group differences and may not apply to each individual patient. The overview of demographic and clinical characteristics provided by this review may help medical professionals distinguish between major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. Several validated, easily administered screening instruments are available and can greatly improve the recognition of bipolar disorder in patients with depression. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimizing selection of in vitro tests for diagnosing thyroid disorders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zwas, S.T.; Rosenblum, Yossef; Boruchowsky, Sabina

1987-01-01

The optimal utilization of the thyroid related radioimmunoassays T3, T4, and TSH-RIA is derived from analysing the clinical and laboratory data for 974 patients with functional thyroid disorders. A statistical computer analysis of the contribution of each of the three tests, and in combination, to the final diagnoses of hypothyroid, euthyroid, and hyper thyroid states was designed. The best contributing test for hypothyroidism and euthyroidism was TSH-RIA (98.5 and 93%, respectively). T4/T3+TSH-RIAs were the optimal dual combination for diagnosing euthyroidism (98.0%). For diagnosing hyperthyroidism T4-RIA was the best single test (82.5%) followed by T3 + T4 as an optimal dual combination (95%). Using all three tests was of no significant additional value over dual combinations. It is concluded that the work and cost of randomly performing three tests routinely is not justified without clinical basis. An algorithm is proposed to guide thyroid studies based on computer analyses of the above-mentioned single or dual-test combinations to establish accurate diagnosis at the lowest laboratory cost. (author)

Role of ethnicity in social anxiety disorder: A cross-sectional survey among health science students.

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Jager, Philip De; Suliman, Sharain; Seedat, Soraya

2014-07-16

To investigate the influence of ethnicity in social anxiety disorder (SAD), and the relationship with symptom severity, depression and substance use or abuse, in health sciences' students . This was a cross-sectional survey of 112 1(st), 2(nd) and 3(rd) year students from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa. The self-reported Social Anxiety Spectrum questionnaire was used to assess for SAD. The Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) was adapted to a version called the E-SPIN (Ethnic-SPIN) in order to evaluate the effects of ethnicity. Two sub-questions per stem question were included to assess whether SAD symptoms in social interactions were ethnicity dependent. Substance use was assessed with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and Drug Use Disorders Identification Test, and depression with the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Of 112 students who completed the E-SPIN questionnaire, 54.4% (n = 61) met criteria for SAD, with significantly more females than males meeting criteria. Ethnicity had a significant effect on SAD symptomatology, but there was no effect of ethnicity on the rates of drug and alcohol abuse in students with and without SAD. Overall significantly more students with SAD met criteria for depression compared with students without the disorder. Among university students, SAD is prevalent regardless of whether interactions are with individuals of the same or different ethnic group. However, ethnicity may be an important determinant of social anxiety for some ethnic groups. SAD was significantly associated with major depression but not significantly associated with drug or alcohol abuse.

Knowing One’s Place: Parental Educational Background Influences Social Identification with Academia, Test Anxiety, and Satisfaction with Studying at University

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Stefan Janke

2017-08-01

Full Text Available First-generation students (i.e., students whose parents did not attend university often experience difficulties fitting in with the social environment at universities. This experience of personal misfit is supposedly associated with an impaired social identification with their aspired in-group of academics compared to continuing-generation students (i.e., students with at least one parent with an academic degree. In this article, we investigate how the postulated differences in social identification with the group of academics affect first-generation students’ satisfaction with studying and test anxiety over time. We assume that first-generation students’ impaired social identification with the group of academics leads to decreased satisfaction with studying and aggravated test anxiety over the course of the first academic year. In a longitudinal study covering students’ first year at a German university, we found that continuing-generation students consistently identified more strongly with their new in-group of academics than first-generation students. The influence of social identification on test anxiety and satisfaction with studying differed between groups. For continuing-generation students, social identification with the group of academics buffered test anxiety and helped them maintain satisfaction with studying over time. We could not find these direct effects within the group of first-generation students. Instead, first-generation students were more sensitive to effects of test anxiety on satisfaction with studying and vice versa over time. The results suggest that first-generation students might be more sensitive to the anticipation of academic failure. Furthermore, continuing-generation students’ social identification with the group of academics might have buffered them against the impact of negative experiences during the entry phase at university. Taken together, our findings underscore that deficit-driven approaches

Knowing One’s Place: Parental Educational Background Influences Social Identification with Academia, Test Anxiety, and Satisfaction with Studying at University

Science.gov (United States)

Janke, Stefan; Rudert, Selma C.; Marksteiner, Tamara; Dickhäuser, Oliver

2017-01-01

First-generation students (i.e., students whose parents did not attend university) often experience difficulties fitting in with the social environment at universities. This experience of personal misfit is supposedly associated with an impaired social identification with their aspired in-group of academics compared to continuing-generation students (i.e., students with at least one parent with an academic degree. In this article, we investigate how the postulated differences in social identification with the group of academics affect first-generation students’ satisfaction with studying and test anxiety over time. We assume that first-generation students’ impaired social identification with the group of academics leads to decreased satisfaction with studying and aggravated test anxiety over the course of the first academic year. In a longitudinal study covering students’ first year at a German university, we found that continuing-generation students consistently identified more strongly with their new in-group of academics than first-generation students. The influence of social identification on test anxiety and satisfaction with studying differed between groups. For continuing-generation students, social identification with the group of academics buffered test anxiety and helped them maintain satisfaction with studying over time. We could not find these direct effects within the group of first-generation students. Instead, first-generation students were more sensitive to effects of test anxiety on satisfaction with studying and vice versa over time. The results suggest that first-generation students might be more sensitive to the anticipation of academic failure. Furthermore, continuing-generation students’ social identification with the group of academics might have buffered them against the impact of negative experiences during the entry phase at university. Taken together, our findings underscore that deficit-driven approaches focusing solely on first

Understanding Neurodevelopmental Disorders: The Promise of Regulatory Variation in the 3'UTRome.

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Wanke, Kai A; Devanna, Paolo; Vernes, Sonja C

2018-04-01

Neurodevelopmental disorders have a strong genetic component, but despite widespread efforts, the specific genetic factors underlying these disorders remain undefined for a large proportion of affected individuals. Given the accessibility of exome sequencing, this problem has thus far been addressed from a protein-centric standpoint; however, protein-coding regions only make up ∼1% to 2% of the human genome. With the advent of whole genome sequencing we are in the midst of a paradigm shift as it is now possible to interrogate the entire sequence of the human genome (coding and noncoding) to fill in the missing heritability of complex disorders. These new technologies bring new challenges, as the number of noncoding variants identified per individual can be overwhelming, making it prudent to focus on noncoding regions of known function, for which the effects of variation can be predicted and directly tested to assess pathogenicity. The 3'UTRome is a region of the noncoding genome that perfectly fulfills these criteria and is of high interest when searching for pathogenic variation related to complex neurodevelopmental disorders. Herein, we review the regulatory roles of the 3'UTRome as binding sites for microRNAs or RNA binding proteins, or during alternative polyadenylation. We detail existing evidence that these regions contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders and outline strategies for identification and validation of novel putatively pathogenic variation in these regions. This evidence suggests that studying the 3'UTRome will lead to the identification of new risk factors, new candidate disease genes, and a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms contributing to neurodevelopmental disorders. Copyright © 2017 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identification of risk loci with shared effects on five major psychiatric disorders

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Steinhausen, Hans-Christoph E.; Strauss, John; Strohmaier, Jana

2013-01-01

Findings from family and twin studies suggest that genetic contributions to psychiatric disorders do not in all cases map to present diagnostic categories. We aimed to identify specific variants underlying genetic effects shared between the five disorders in the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium: a......: autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia.......Findings from family and twin studies suggest that genetic contributions to psychiatric disorders do not in all cases map to present diagnostic categories. We aimed to identify specific variants underlying genetic effects shared between the five disorders in the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium...

Development of a new protocol for rapid bacterial identification and susceptibility testing directly from urine samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Zboromyrska, Y; Rubio, E; Alejo, I; Vergara, A; Mons, A; Campo, I; Bosch, J; Marco, F; Vila, J

2016-06-01

The current gold standard method for the diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTI) is urine culture that requires 18-48 h for the identification of the causative microorganisms and an additional 24 h until the results of antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) are available. The aim of this study was to shorten the time of urine sample processing by a combination of flow cytometry for screening and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) for bacterial identification followed by AST directly from urine. The study was divided into two parts. During the first part, 675 urine samples were processed by a flow cytometry device and a cut-off value of bacterial count was determined to select samples for direct identification by MALDI-TOF-MS at ≥5 × 10(6) bacteria/mL. During the second part, 163 of 1029 processed samples reached the cut-off value. The sample preparation protocol for direct identification included two centrifugation and two washing steps. Direct AST was performed by the disc diffusion method if a reliable direct identification was obtained. Direct MALDI-TOF-MS identification was performed in 140 urine samples; 125 of the samples were positive by urine culture, 12 were contaminated and 3 were negative. Reliable direct identification was obtained in 108 (86.4%) of the 125 positive samples. AST was performed in 102 identified samples, and the results were fully concordant with the routine method among 83 monomicrobial infections. In conclusion, the turnaround time of the protocol described to diagnose UTI was about 1 h for microbial identification and 18-24 h for AST. Copyright © 2016 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Testing a Poisson counter model for visual identification of briefly presented, mutually confusable single stimuli in pure accuracy tasks.

Science.gov (United States)

Kyllingsbæk, Søren; Markussen, Bo; Bundesen, Claus

2012-06-01

The authors propose and test a simple model of the time course of visual identification of briefly presented, mutually confusable single stimuli in pure accuracy tasks. The model implies that during stimulus analysis, tentative categorizations that stimulus i belongs to category j are made at a constant Poisson rate, v(i, j). The analysis is continued until the stimulus disappears, and the overt response is based on the categorization made the greatest number of times. The model was evaluated by Monte Carlo tests of goodness of fit against observed probability distributions of responses in two extensive experiments and also by quantifications of the information loss of the model compared with the observed data by use of information theoretic measures. The model provided a close fit to individual data on identification of digits and an apparently perfect fit to data on identification of Landolt rings.

Psychometric Characteristics of a Measure of Emotional Dispositions Developed to Test a Developmental Propensity Model of Conduct Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Lahey, Benjamin B.; Applegate, Brooks; Chronis, Andrea M.; Jones, Heather A.; Williams, Stephanie Hall; Loney, Jan; Waldman, Irwin D.

2008-01-01

Lahey and Waldman proposed a developmental propensity model in which three dimensions of children's emotional dispositions are hypothesized to transact with the environment to influence risk for conduct disorder, heterogeneity in conduct disorder, and comorbidity with other disorders. To prepare for future tests of this model, a new measure of…

Instrumentation measurement and testing complex for detection and identification of radioactive materials using the emitted radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samossadny, V.T.; Dmitrenko, V.V.; Kadlin, V.V.; Kolesnikov, S.V.; Ulin, S.E.; Grachev, V.M.; Vlasik, K.F.; Dedenko, G.L.; Novikov, D.V.; Uteshev, Z.M.

2006-01-01

Simultaneous measurement of neutron and gamma radiation is a very usefull method for effective nuclear materials identification and control. The gamma-ray-neutron complex described in the paper is based on two multi-layer 3 He neutrons detectors and two High Pressure Xenon gamma-ray spectrometers assembled in one unit. All these detectors were callibrated on neutron and gamma-ray sources. The main characteristics of the instrumentation , its testing results and gamma-ray and neutron radiation parameters, which have been measured are represented in the paper. The gamma-neutron sources and fissile materials reliable detection and identification capability was demonstrated

Axis I and II disorders as long-term predictors of mental distress: a six-year prospective follow-up of substance-dependent patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Landheim Anne

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A high prevalence of lifetime psychiatric disorders among help-seeking substance abusers has been clearly established. However, the long-term course of psychiatric disorders and mental distress among help-seeking substance abusers is still unclear. The aim of this research was to examine the course of mental distress using a six-year follow-up study of treatment-seeking substance-dependent patients, and to explore whether lifetime Axis I and II disorders measured at admission predict the level of mental distress at follow-up, when age, sex, and substance-use variables measured both at baseline and at follow-up are controlled for. Methods A consecutive sample of substance dependent in- and outpatients (n = 287 from two counties of Norway were assessed at baseline (T1 with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (Axis I, Millon's Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (Axis II, and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-25 (mental distress. At follow-up (T2, 48% (137/287 subjects, 29% women were assessed with the HSCL-25, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, and the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test. Results The stability of mental distress is a main finding and the level of mental distress remained high after six years, but was significantly lower among abstainers at T2, especially among female abstainers. Both the number of and specific lifetime Axis I disorders (social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and somatization disorder, the number of and specific Axis II disorders (anxious and impulsive personality disorders, and the severity of substance-use disorder at the index admission were all independent predictors of a high level of mental distress at follow-up, even when we controlled for age, sex, and substance use at follow-up. Conclusion These results underscore the importance of diagnosing and treating both substance-use disorder and non-substance-use disorder Axis I and Axis II disorders in

Respiratory panic disorder subtype and sensitivity to the carbon dioxide challenge test

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A.M. Valença

2002-07-01

Full Text Available The aim of the present study was to verify the sensitivity to the carbon dioxide (CO2 challenge test of panic disorder (PD patients with respiratory and nonrespiratory subtypes of the disorder. Our hypothesis is that the respiratory subtype is more sensitive to 35% CO2. Twenty-seven PD subjects with or without agoraphobia were classified into respiratory and nonrespiratory subtypes on the basis of the presence of respiratory symptoms during their panic attacks. The tests were carried out in a double-blind manner using two mixtures: 1 35% CO2 and 65% O2, and 2 100% atmospheric compressed air, 20 min apart. The tests were repeated after 2 weeks during which the participants in the study did not receive any psychotropic drugs. At least 15 of 16 (93.7% respiratory PD subtype patients and 5 of 11 (43.4% nonrespiratory PD patients had a panic attack during one of two CO2 challenges (P = 0.009, Fisher exact test. Respiratory PD subtype patients were more sensitive to the CO2 challenge test. There was agreement between the severity of PD measured by the Clinical Global Impression (CGI Scale and the subtype of PD. Higher CGI scores in the respiratory PD subtype could reflect a greater sensitivity to the CO2 challenge due to a greater severity of PD. Carbon dioxide challenges in PD may define PD subtypes and their underlying mechanisms.

System identification of timber masonry walls using shaking table test

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Timir B.; Guerreiro, Luis; Bagchi, Ashutosh

2017-04-01

Dynamic study is important in order to design, repair and rehabilitation of structures. It has played an important role in the behavior characterization of structures; such as: bridges, dams, high rise buildings etc. There had been substantial development in this area over the last few decades, especially in the field of dynamic identification techniques of structural systems. Frequency Domain Decomposition (FDD) and Time Domain Decomposition are most commonly used methods to identify modal parameters; such as: natural frequency, modal damping and mode shape. The focus of the present research is to study the dynamic characteristics of typical timber masonry walls commonly used in Portugal. For that purpose, a multi-storey structural prototype of such wall has been tested on a seismic shake table at the National Laboratory for Civil Engineering, Portugal (LNEC). Signal processing has been performed of the output response, which is collected from the shaking table experiment of the prototype using accelerometers. In the present work signal processing of the output response, based on the input response has been done in two ways: FDD and Stochastic Subspace Identification (SSI). In order to estimate the values of the modal parameters, algorithms for FDD are formulated and parametric functions for the SSI are computed. Finally, estimated values from both the methods are compared to measure the accuracy of both the techniques.

Pre-test analysis for identification of natural circulation instabilities in TALL-3D facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kööp, Kaspar, E-mail: kaspar@safety.sci.kth.se; Jeltsov, Marti, E-mail: marti@safety.sci.kth.se; Grishchenko, Dmitry, E-mail: dmitry@safety.sci.kth.se; Kudinov, Pavel, E-mail: pavel@safety.sci.kth.se

2017-04-01

Highlights: • Global optimum search method was used to identify a region of instability. • Parametric study was used for detailed investigation of system behavior modes. • The results include identification of sustained mass flow rate oscillations. • Recommendations are made for selection of optimal experimental conditions. - Abstract: TALL-3D facility is a lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) thermal-hydraulic loop designed to provide experimental data on thermal-hydraulics phenomena for validation of stand-alone and coupled System Thermal Hydraulics (STH) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes. Pre-test analysis is crucial for proper choice of experimental conditions at which the experimental data would be most useful for code validation and benchmarking. The goal of this work is to identify these conditions at which the experiment is challenging for the STH codes yet minimizes the 3D-effects from the test section on the loop dynamics. The analysis is focused on the identification of limit cycle flow oscillations in the TALL-3D facility main heater leg using a global optimum search tool GA-NPO to find a general region in the parameter space where oscillatory behavior is expected. As a second step a grid study is conducted outlining the boundaries between different stability modes. Phenomena, simulation results and methodology for selection of the test parameters are discussed in detail and recommendations for experiments are provided.

Eating disorders in persons with type 1 diabetes: A focus group investigation of early eating disorder risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Powers, Margaret A; Richter, Sara A; Ackard, Diann M; Cronemeyer, Catherine

2016-12-01

Through focus groups, we examined the development and maintenance of an eating disorder in 16 females with type 1 diabetes and an eating disorder. The quotes and qualitative data summaries provide rich insights into understanding why those with type 1 diabetes are at increased risk for eating disorders. Content analyses revealed five themes pertinent to the dual diagnosis (feeling different, difficulty with control/coping, body image, feelings, and quality of life) of which four themes were relevant to eating disorder development. Findings support early identification of those at risk and inform interventions to mitigate development of an eating disorder. © The Author(s) 2015.

Alcohol use disorder and tuberculosis treatment: A longitudinal mixed method study in Thailand

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Samai Laprawat

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Objective: The relationship between tuberculosis (TB treatment and alcohol use disorders over time is under-researched. The aim of this investigation was to study alcohol use and TB medication adherence and its predictors among TB patients over a period of 6 months. Methods: A longitudinal investigation was carried out with new TB and TB retreatment patients systematically selected from two hospitals and had screened positive for hazardous or harmful alcohol use in Sisaket Province in Thailand. Alcohol use disorders were measured with Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT-C at baseline, 3 months and 6 months. Results: Of the 295 TB patients who were screened with AUDIT-C, 72 (24.4% tested positive for hazardous or harmful alcohol use. At 6 months, 72 TB patients had completed the follow- up. At the 6-month follow-up, hazardous or harmful drinking was reduced by 84.7%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis using generalised estimation equation modelling found that alcohol use significantly reduced over time, whereas there was no change in current tobacco use. Conclusion: The prevalence of alcohol use disorders significantly reduced over a period of 6 months.

The conceptualisation and measurement of DSM-5 Internet Gaming Disorder: the development of the IGD-20 Test.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Halley M Pontes

Full Text Available Over the last decade, there has been growing concern about 'gaming addiction' and its widely documented detrimental impacts on a minority of individuals that play excessively. The latest (fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5 included nine criteria for the potential diagnosis of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD and noted that it was a condition that warranted further empirical study.The main aim of this study was to develop a valid and reliable standardised psychometrically robust tool in addition to providing empirically supported cut-off points.A sample of 1003 gamers (85.2% males; mean age 26 years from 57 different countries were recruited via online gaming forums. Validity was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA, criterion-related validity, and concurrent validity. Latent profile analysis was also carried to distinguish disordered gamers from non-disordered gamers. Sensitivity and specificity analyses were performed to determine an empirical cut-off for the test.The CFA confirmed the viability of IGD-20 Test with a six-factor structure (salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict and relapse for the assessment of IGD according to the nine criteria from DSM-5. The IGD-20 Test proved to be valid and reliable. According to the latent profile analysis, 5.3% of the total participants were classed as disordered gamers. Additionally, an optimal empirical cut-off of 71 points (out of 100 seemed to be adequate according to the sensitivity and specificity analyses carried.The present findings support the viability of the IGD-20 Test as an adequate standardised psychometrically robust tool for assessing internet gaming disorder. Consequently, the new instrument represents the first step towards unification and consensus in the field of gaming studies.

The Conceptualisation and Measurement of DSM-5 Internet Gaming Disorder: The Development of the IGD-20 Test

Science.gov (United States)

Pontes, Halley M.; Király, Orsolya; Demetrovics, Zsolt; Griffiths, Mark D.

2014-01-01

Background Over the last decade, there has been growing concern about ‘gaming addiction’ and its widely documented detrimental impacts on a minority of individuals that play excessively. The latest (fifth) edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) included nine criteria for the potential diagnosis of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and noted that it was a condition that warranted further empirical study. Aim: The main aim of this study was to develop a valid and reliable standardised psychometrically robust tool in addition to providing empirically supported cut-off points. Methods A sample of 1003 gamers (85.2% males; mean age 26 years) from 57 different countries were recruited via online gaming forums. Validity was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), criterion-related validity, and concurrent validity. Latent profile analysis was also carried to distinguish disordered gamers from non-disordered gamers. Sensitivity and specificity analyses were performed to determine an empirical cut-off for the test. Results The CFA confirmed the viability of IGD-20 Test with a six-factor structure (salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict and relapse) for the assessment of IGD according to the nine criteria from DSM-5. The IGD-20 Test proved to be valid and reliable. According to the latent profile analysis, 5.3% of the total participants were classed as disordered gamers. Additionally, an optimal empirical cut-off of 71 points (out of 100) seemed to be adequate according to the sensitivity and specificity analyses carried. Conclusions The present findings support the viability of the IGD-20 Test as an adequate standardised psychometrically robust tool for assessing internet gaming disorder. Consequently, the new instrument represents the first step towards unification and consensus in the field of gaming studies. PMID:25313515

The conceptualisation and measurement of DSM-5 Internet Gaming Disorder: the development of the IGD-20 Test.

Science.gov (United States)

Pontes, Halley M; Király, Orsolya; Demetrovics, Zsolt; Griffiths, Mark D

2014-01-01

Over the last decade, there has been growing concern about 'gaming addiction' and its widely documented detrimental impacts on a minority of individuals that play excessively. The latest (fifth) edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) included nine criteria for the potential diagnosis of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and noted that it was a condition that warranted further empirical study. The main aim of this study was to develop a valid and reliable standardised psychometrically robust tool in addition to providing empirically supported cut-off points. A sample of 1003 gamers (85.2% males; mean age 26 years) from 57 different countries were recruited via online gaming forums. Validity was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), criterion-related validity, and concurrent validity. Latent profile analysis was also carried to distinguish disordered gamers from non-disordered gamers. Sensitivity and specificity analyses were performed to determine an empirical cut-off for the test. The CFA confirmed the viability of IGD-20 Test with a six-factor structure (salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict and relapse) for the assessment of IGD according to the nine criteria from DSM-5. The IGD-20 Test proved to be valid and reliable. According to the latent profile analysis, 5.3% of the total participants were classed as disordered gamers. Additionally, an optimal empirical cut-off of 71 points (out of 100) seemed to be adequate according to the sensitivity and specificity analyses carried. The present findings support the viability of the IGD-20 Test as an adequate standardised psychometrically robust tool for assessing internet gaming disorder. Consequently, the new instrument represents the first step towards unification and consensus in the field of gaming studies.

Temporal Assessment of Mental Disorders, Smoking, and Hazardous Drinking in United States Troops Deployed in Support of the Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-26

drinking may have occurred, since the questionnaire includes only two of ten questions of Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).44 The degree...Psychiatric disorders and stages of smoking. Biol Psychiatry. 2004;55(1):69-76. 30. Romberger DJ, Grant K. Alcohol consumption and smoking...from human genetic studies. Mol Psychiatry. 2010;15(6):574-588. 44. Saunders JB, Aasland OG, Babor TF, de la Fuente JR, Grant M. Development of the

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and anxiety disorders as precursors of bipolar disorder onset in adulthood

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meier, Sandra M; Pavlova, Barbara; Dalsgaard, Søren

2018-01-01

BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety disorders have been proposed as precursors of bipolar disorder, but their joint and relative roles in the development of bipolar disorder are unknown.AimsTo test the prospective relationship of ADHD and anxiety with onset...... of bipolar disorder. METHOD: We examined the relationship between ADHD, anxiety disorders and bipolar disorder in a birth cohort of 2 409 236 individuals born in Denmark between 1955 and 1991. Individuals were followed from their sixteenth birthday or from January 1995 to their first clinical contact...... for bipolar disorder or until December 2012. We calculated incidence rates per 10 000 person-years and tested the effects of prior diagnoses on the risk of bipolar disorder in survival models. RESULTS: Over 37 394 865 person-years follow-up, 9250 onsets of bipolar disorder occurred. The incidence rate...

Test of Association Between 10 SNPs in the Oxytocin Receptor Gene and Conduct Disorder

OpenAIRE

Sakai, Joseph T.; Crowley, Thomas J.; Stallings, Michael C.; McQueen, Matthew; Hewitt, John K.; Hopfer, Christian; Hoft, Nicole R.; Ehringer, Marissa A.

2012-01-01

Animal and human studies have implicated oxytocin (OXT) in affiliative and prosocial behaviors. We tested whether genetic variation in the OXT receptor (OXTR) gene is associated with conduct disorder (CD).

Structural identification of short/middle span bridges by rapid impact testing: theory and verification

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jian; Zhang, Q. Q.; Guo, S. L.; Xu, D. W.; Wu, Z. S.

2015-06-01

A structural strain flexibility identification method by processing the multiple-reference impact testing data is proposed. First, a kind of novel long-gauge fiber optic sensor is developed for structural macro-strain monitoring. Second, the multiple-reference impact testing technology is employed, during which both the impacting force and structural strain responses are measured. The impact testing technology has unique merit because it is able to extract exact structural frequency response functions (FRFs), while other test methods, for instance ambient tests, can only output the FRFs with scaled magnitudes. Most importantly, the originality of the article is that a method of identifying the structural strain flexibility characteristic from the impact test data has been proposed, which is useful for structural static strain prediction and capacity evaluation. Examples of a six meter simple supported beam and a multiple-span continuous beam bridge have successfully verified the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Structural identification of short/middle span bridges by rapid impact testing: theory and verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Jian; Wu, Z S; Zhang, Q Q; Guo, S L; Xu, D W

2015-01-01

A structural strain flexibility identification method by processing the multiple-reference impact testing data is proposed. First, a kind of novel long-gauge fiber optic sensor is developed for structural macro-strain monitoring. Second, the multiple-reference impact testing technology is employed, during which both the impacting force and structural strain responses are measured. The impact testing technology has unique merit because it is able to extract exact structural frequency response functions (FRFs), while other test methods, for instance ambient tests, can only output the FRFs with scaled magnitudes. Most importantly, the originality of the article is that a method of identifying the structural strain flexibility characteristic from the impact test data has been proposed, which is useful for structural static strain prediction and capacity evaluation. Examples of a six meter simple supported beam and a multiple-span continuous beam bridge have successfully verified the effectiveness of the proposed method. (paper)

Genetic Influences on Conduct Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Salvatore, Jessica E.; Dick, Danielle M.

2016-01-01

Conduct disorder (CD) is a moderately heritable psychiatric disorder of childhood and adolescence characterized by aggression toward people and animals, destruction of property, deceitfulness or theft, and serious violation of rules. Genome-wide scans using linkage and association methods have identified a number of suggestive genomic regions that are pending replication. A small number of candidate genes (e.g., GABRA2, MAOA, SLC6A4, AVPR1A) are associated with CD related phenotypes across independent studies; however, failures to replicate also exist. Studies of gene-environment interplay show that CD genetic predispositions also contribute to selection into higher-risk environments, and that environmental factors can alter the importance of CD genetic factors and differentially methylate CD candidate genes. The field’s understanding of CD etiology will benefit from larger, adequately powered studies in gene identification efforts; the incorporation of polygenic approaches in gene-environment interplay studies; attention to the mechanisms of risk from genes to brain to behavior; and the use of genetically informative data to test quasi-causal hypotheses about purported risk factors. PMID:27350097

Antiphospholipid Syndrome Laboratory Testing and Diagnostic Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Ortel, Thomas L.

2016-01-01

The Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) is diagnosed in patients with recurrent thromboembolic events and/or pregnancy loss in the presence of persistent laboratory evidence for antiphospholipid antibodies. Diagnostic tests for the detection of antiphospholipid antibodies include laboratory assays that detect anticardiolipin antibodies, lupus anticoagulants, and anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies. These assays have their origins beginning more than sixty years ago, with the identification of the biologic false positive test for syphilis, the observation of ‘circulating anticoagulants’ in certain patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, the identification of cardiolipin as a key component in the serologic test for syphilis, and the recognition and characterization of a ‘cofactor’ for antibody binding to phospholipids. Although these assays have been used clinically for many years, there are still problems with the accurate diagnosis of patients with this syndrome. For example, lupus anticoagulant testing can be difficult to interpret in patients receiving anticoagulant therapy, but most patients with a thromboembolic event will already be anticoagulated before the decision to perform the tests has been made. In addition to understanding limitations of the assays, clinicians also need to be aware of which patients should be tested and not obtain testing on patients unlikely to have APS. New tests and diagnostic strategies are in various stages of development and should help improve our ability to accurately diagnose this important clinical disorder. PMID:22473619

Virtual anthropology and forensic identification using multidetector CT.

Science.gov (United States)

Dedouit, F; Savall, F; Mokrane, F-Z; Rousseau, H; Crubézy, E; Rougé, D; Telmon, N

2014-04-01

Virtual anthropology is made possible by modern cross-sectional imaging. Multislice CT (MSCT) can be used for comparative bone and dental identification, reconstructive identification and lesion identification. Comparative identification, the comparison of ante- and post-mortem imaging data, can be performed on both teeth and bones. Reconstructive identification, a considerable challenge for the radiologist, identifies the deceased by determining sex, geographical origin, stature and age at death. Lesion identification combines virtual autopsy and virtual anthropology. MSCT can be useful in palaeopathology, seeking arthropathy, infection, oral pathology, trauma, tumours, haematological disorders, stress indicators or occupational stress in bones and teeth. We examine some of the possibilities offered by this new radiological subspeciality that adds a new dimension to the work of the forensic radiologist. A multidisciplinary approach is crucial and involves communication and data exchange between radiologists, forensic pathologists, anthropologists and radiographers.

Hepatobiliary Disorders in Celiac Disease: An Update

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaushal K. Prasad

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This communication reviews recent literature and summarizes hepatobiliary abnormalities that may complicate the clinical course of celiac disease. A wide spectrum of hepatobiliary diseases has been described, including asymptomatic elevations of liver enzyme levels, nonspecific hepatitis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and autoimmune and cholestatic liver disease. Moreover, in the majority of patients, liver enzyme levels will normalize on a gluten-free diet. In addition, celiac disease may be associated with rare hepatic complications, such as hepatic T-cell lymphoma. Because many celiac patients do not have overt gastrointestinal symptoms, a high index of suspicion is required. Simple methods of detecting celiac disease such as serum antibody tests help in the early identification of the disease, thus preventing serious complications of the disorder. The IgG DGP antibody test and IgA tTG antibody test used in combination are an excellent screening test for suspected cases of celiac disease.

Identifikasi Gangguan Reproduksi Sapi Betina di Peternakan Rakyat (IDENTIFICATION OF REPRODUCTIVE DISORDERS IN FEMALE CATTLE AT LOCAL FARMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sutiyono Sutiyono

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research was to determine the female reproductive disorders in cattle reared by local farmers in the Distric of Kaliori, Rembang Regency, Central Java Province. A total of 94 cattle were used, in which had minimal one of each incisors had been replaced. The study used survey methods, and data were collected by interviewing with ranchers, rectal palpation, identification of the incisors, and body condition score of the cattle. In the implementation of the study, cattle were taken to a place determined by the chairman of the group of farmers (field or home page. The parameters of study were unheard of oestrus or not, the amount of artificial insemination, the number of incisors changed, body condition score of each cattle, the feed given, and their maintenance. The data were analyzed using statistical descriptive analysis on the mode, range, and percentage. The results showed that of the 94 cattle, which have disorders of reproductive activity as much as 80. Samples with impaired reproductive activity were divided into three groups. The first group was the old heifers that had no oestrus 25.00%, the second group was cattle that were more than three times applied artificial insemination and had not been pregnant 45.00%, and the third group was cattle that more than three months after the last giving birth had no oestrus 30.00%. The other reproductive disorders that occured in individual of the cattle was inactive ovaries (follicle undeveloped 2.50%, 6.25% ovary hypofunction, ovarian cystic 1.25%, endometritis 2.50% and 2.50% abnormal uterus. In conclusion, the largest reproductive disorders in cattle caused by nutritional factors that provided by the farmers, and small disturbances due to some diseases and abnormal reproductive organs.

Comparing Mental Health of School-Age Children of Parents With/Without Bipolar Disorders: A Case Control Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shamsaei

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Background Children of parents with bipolar disorder appear to have an increased risk of early-onset Bipolar Disorder (BP, mood disorders and other psychiatric disorders. Objectives The aim of this study was to compare the mental health of school-age children of parents, with/without bipolar disorder. Materials and Methods This case-control study included one hundred children aged six to twelve years, who had parents with bipolar disorder and 200 children of 163 demographically-matched control parents. Parents with bipolar disorder were recruited from Farshchian Psychiatric Hospital of Hamadan, Iran, during year 2014. The parent version of the Child Symptom Inventory-4 questionnaire was used to measure mental health. Mean comparisons were performed using Student’s t test while effect sizes were estimated by Cohen’s d coefficient. The Chi-square test was used to assess significant differences between frequency distribution of demographic variables in both groups. The significance level was considered less than 0.05. Results There were statistically significant differences between children of parents with and those without bipolar disorder regarding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct, generalized anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, major depression, separation anxiety (P< 0.001 and social phobia (P < 0.05. Children of parents with BP are at high risk for psychiatric disorders. Conclusions These findings support that the careful evaluation and prospective following of the psychopathology of children of parents with bipolar disorder are critical for early identification and treatment.

Thought and language disorders in very early onset schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Telma Pantano

Full Text Available Abstract Background Thought and language disorders are main features of adults with schizophrenia and bipolar disorders however studies on such abnormalities are scant in young patients with very early onset psychosis (VEOS. The aim of the present study is to assess the relationship between language and thought disorders in patients with very early onset schizophrenia (SCZ, schizoaffective disorders (SCA and bipolar disorders (BD. Method Forty-one patients (18 SCZ, 16 BD, and 7 SCA with mean age less than 15 years old were assessed through a series of neurocognitive and psycholinguistic tests, including the Thought, Language and Communication Scale (TLC. Results SCZ group performed worse in all tests as well as the TLC, followed by SCA and BD groups respectively. Thought disorders were related to deficits in executive functioning and semantic processing, and the metaphors’ test was the best predictor of TLC functioning. Discussion TD in SCZ, SCA and BD are one of the most important features in patients with VEOS and that the evaluation of metaphor comprehension can be an important instrument in the early detection of this disorder.

Psychophysiologic testing for post-traumatic stress disorder: forensic psychiatric application.

Science.gov (United States)

Pitman, R K; Orr, S P

1993-01-01

The validity of the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis is limited by both the illusory objectivity of the traumatic event and the subjectivity of the ensuing syndrome. These limitations are especially problematic in the forensic setting. Psychophysiologic measurements may strengthen PTSD's forensic value by offering a more objective assessment technique for cases that find their way into the courtroom. Based upon the results of published research studies conducted in a range of military and civilian, PTSD and non-PTSD subjects, psychophysiologic data can provide evidence helping to establish or refute the presence of the DSM-III-R PTSD arousal criteria, as well as aid psychiatric experts in estimating the probability of the disorder's presence in a given claimant. Psychophysiologic testing should be viewed as one component of a multimethod forensic psychiatric evaluation for PTSD. It is likely that it will soon be offered and, given current legal standards, admitted as evidence in civil and criminal litigation.

Speech disorders - children

Science.gov (United States)

... disorder; Voice disorders; Vocal disorders; Disfluency; Communication disorder - speech disorder; Speech disorder - stuttering ... evaluation tools that can help identify and diagnose speech disorders: Denver Articulation Screening Examination Goldman-Fristoe Test of ...

The effect of a yoga intervention on alcohol and drug abuse risk in veteran and civilian women with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Reddy, Shivani; Dick, Alexandra M; Gerber, Megan R; Mitchell, Karen

2014-10-01

Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often exhibit high-risk substance use behaviors. Complementary and alternative therapies are increasingly used for mental health disorders, although evidence is sparse. Investigate the effect of a yoga intervention on alcohol and drug abuse behaviors in women with PTSD. Secondary outcomes include changes in PTSD symptom perception and management and initiation of evidence-based therapies. The current investigation analyzed data from a pilot randomized controlled trial comparing a 12-session yoga intervention with an assessment control for women age 18 to 65 years with PTSD. The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) and Drug Use Disorder Identification Test (DUDIT) were administered at baseline, after the intervention, and a 1-month follow-up. Linear mixed models were used to test the significance of the change in AUDIT and DUDIT scores over time. Treatment-seeking questions were compared by using Fisher exact tests. The mean AUDIT and DUDIT scores decreased in the yoga group; in the control group, mean AUDIT score increased while mean DUDIT score remained stable. In the linear mixed models, the change in AUDIT and DUDIT scores over time did not differ significantly by group. Most yoga group participants reported a reduction in symptoms and improved symptom management. All participants expressed interest in psychotherapy for PTSD, although only two participants, both in the yoga group, initiated therapy. Results from this pilot study suggest that a specialized yoga therapy may play a role in attenuating the symptoms of PTSD, reducing risk of alcohol and drug use, and promoting interest in evidence-based psychotherapy. Further research is needed to confirm and evaluate the strength of these effects.

Review on applied foods and analyzed methods in identification testing of irradiated foods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Kwang Hoon; Lee, Hoo Chul; Park, Sung Hyun; Kim, Soo Jin; Kim, Kwan Soo; Jeong, Il Yun; Lee, Ju Woon; Yook, Hong Sun

2010-01-01

Identification methods of irradiated foods have been adopted as official test by EU and Codex. PSL, TL, ESR and GC/MS methods were registered in Korea food code on 2009 and put in force as control system of verification for labelling of food irradiation. But most generally applicable PSL and TL methods are specified applicable foods according to domestic approved items. Unlike these specifications, foods unpermitted in Korea are included in applicable items of ESR and GC/MS methods. According to recent research data, numerous food groups are possible to effective legal control by identification and these items are demanded to permit regulations for irradiation additionally. Especially, the prohibition of irradiation for meats or seafoods is not harmonized with international standards and interacts as trade friction or industrial restrictions due to unprepared domestic regulation. Hence, extension of domestic legal permission for food irradiation can contrive to related industrial development and also can reduce trade friction and enhance international competitiveness

The assisted 6-minute cycling test to assess endurance in children with a neuromuscular disorder

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jansen, M.; Jong, M. de; Coes, H.M.; Eggermont, F.; Alfen, N. van; de Groot, I.J.

2012-01-01

Introduction: For late- or non-ambulant children with a neuromuscular disorder no suitable endurance tests are currently available. We developed the assisted 6-minute cycling test (A6MCT) for the legs and arms and investigated its psychometric properties in healthy boys and boys with Duchenne

[Predictive factors of anxiety disorders].

Science.gov (United States)

Domschke, K

2014-10-01

Anxiety disorders are among the most frequent mental disorders in Europe (12-month prevalence 14%) and impose a high socioeconomic burden. The pathogenesis of anxiety disorders is complex with an interaction of biological, environmental and psychosocial factors contributing to the overall disease risk (diathesis-stress model). In this article, risk factors for anxiety disorders will be presented on several levels, e.g. genetic factors, environmental factors, gene-environment interactions, epigenetic mechanisms, neuronal networks ("brain fear circuit"), psychophysiological factors (e.g. startle response and CO2 sensitivity) and dimensional/subclinical phenotypes of anxiety (e.g. anxiety sensitivity and behavioral inhibition), and critically discussed regarding their potential predictive value. The identification of factors predictive of anxiety disorders will possibly allow for effective preventive measures or early treatment interventions, respectively, and reduce the individual patient's suffering as well as the overall socioeconomic burden of anxiety disorders.

Comparing the executive function of patients with schizophrenia, acute/chronic type I disorder (manic episode, and healthy controls on Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and Continuous Performance Test

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hossein Zare

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction: From among various cognitive deficits, deficits in executive processes have an effective role in limiting the patients’ ability to retain, acquire, and re-learn the skills necessary for real-life performance. Thus, the present study aimed to compare the executive function of patients with schizophrenia, acute/chronic type I disorder, and the healthy group. Methods: The present research was an analytical-comparative study. The statistical population consisted of all the outpatients and inpatients with acute/chronic schizophrenia and acute/chronic type I disorder (manic episode visiting Shafa Psychiatric Hospital, Rasht, Iran. Using convenience sampling, 60 male subjects aging 18-49 years old were selected in 2014-2015. They were matched for the variables of sex, age, and education level. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Continuous Performance Test, and Raven’s Progressive Matrices were administered, and the data were analyzed using MANOVA and Tukey post-hoc test. Results: A significant difference was observed between the acute/chronic schizophrenia group, acute/chronic type I disorder (manic episode, and healthy group on the two tests. Patients with schizophrenia had a weaker executive function and attention deficit compared to those with type I disorder and the healthy group (P0.05. Conclusion: Both schizophrenia and type I disorder patients show deficits in executive function and attention. However, the former group manifests higher impairment in cognitive activities, concept formation, cognitive flexibility, and attention deficit.

Microsoft Kinect-based Continuous Performance Test: An Objective Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Delgado-Gomez, David; Peñuelas-Calvo, Inmaculada; Masó-Besga, Antonio Eduardo; Vallejo-Oñate, Silvia; Baltasar Tello, Itziar; Arrua Duarte, Elsa; Vera Varela, María Constanza; Carballo, Juan; Baca-García, Enrique

2017-03-20

One of the major challenges in mental medical care is finding out new instruments for an accurate and objective evaluation of the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Early ADHD identification, severity assessment, and prompt treatment are essential to avoid the negative effects associated with this mental condition. The aim of our study was to develop a novel ADHD assessment instrument based on Microsoft Kinect, which identifies ADHD cardinal symptoms in order to provide a more accurate evaluation. A group of 30 children, aged 8-12 years (10.3 [SD 1.4]; male 70% [21/30]), who were referred to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit of the Department of Psychiatry at Fundación Jiménez Díaz Hospital (Madrid, Spain), were included in this study. Children were required to meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria of ADHD diagnosis. One of the parents or guardians of the children filled the Spanish version of the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD Symptoms and Normal Behavior (SWAN) rating scale used in clinical practice. Each child conducted a Kinect-based continuous performance test (CPT) in which the reaction time (RT), the commission errors, and the time required to complete the reaction (CT) were calculated. The correlations of the 3 predictors, obtained using Kinect methodology, with respect to the scores of the SWAN scale were calculated. The RT achieved a correlation of -.11, -.29, and -.37 with respect to the inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity factors of the SWAN scale. The correlations of the commission error with respect to these 3 factors were -.03, .01, and .24, respectively. Our findings show a relation between the Microsoft Kinect-based version of the CPT and ADHD symptomatology assessed through parental report. Results point out the importance of future research on the development of objective measures for the diagnosis of ADHD among children and adolescents. ©David Delgado-Gomez, Inmaculada

Implicit out-group preference is associated with eating disorders symptoms amongst Emirati females.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Justin; Quadflieg, Susanne; O'Hara, Lily

2016-04-01

Studies exploring the relationship between acculturation and eating disorders symptoms have proven equivocal. Socially desirable responding associated with the use of explicit measures may account for these mixed findings. This study explores the relationship between in-group identity, acculturation and eating disorders symptoms using both implicit and explicit assessments. Emirati female college students (N=94) completed an affective priming task (APT) designed to implicitly assess Emirati in-group evaluations. Participants also completed explicit measures, including the Westernization Survey and the Multicomponent In-group Identification Scale. Eating disorders symptoms were assessed using the Eating Attitudes Test. Only implicit in-group evaluations were correlated with eating disorders symptoms. Specifically, increases in in-group preference were associated with lower levels of eating disorders symptomatology. Furthermore, participants with an actual out-group preference had significantly higher levels of eating disorders symptomatology compared with those demonstrating an in-group preference. These findings support the acculturative stress hypothesis, and suggest that the relationship between eating disorders and acculturation may be better understood with reference to implicit rather than explicit in-group evaluations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Candidate genes in panic disorder

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Howe, A. S.; Buttenschön, Henriette N; Bani-Fatemi, A.

2016-01-01

The utilization of molecular genetics approaches in examination of panic disorder (PD) has implicated several variants as potential susceptibility factors for panicogenesis. However, the identification of robust PD susceptibility genes has been complicated by phenotypic diversity, underpowered...... association studies and ancestry-specific effects. In the present study, we performed a succinct review of case-control association studies published prior to April 2015. Meta-analyses were performed for candidate gene variants examined in at least three studies using the Cochrane Mantel-Haenszel fixed......-effect model. Secondary analyses were also performed to assess the influences of sex, agoraphobia co-morbidity and ancestry-specific effects on panicogenesis. Meta-analyses were performed on 23 variants in 20 PD candidate genes. Significant associations after correction for multiple testing were observed...

Lipid Metabolism Disorders

Science.gov (United States)

... using blood tests. If there is a family history of one of these disorders, parents can get genetic testing to see whether they carry the gene. Other genetic tests can tell whether the fetus has the disorder or carries the gene for the disorder. Enzyme replacement therapies can help with a few of ...

Identification of an abnormal beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frome, Edward L.; Newman, Lee S.; Cragle, Donna L.; Colyer, Shirley P.; Wambach, Paul F.

2003-01-01

The potential hazards from exposure to beryllium or beryllium compounds in the workplace were first reported in the 1930s. The tritiated thymidine beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT) is an in vitro blood test that is widely used to screen beryllium exposed workers in the nuclear industry for sensitivity to beryllium. The clinical significance of the BeLPT was described and a standard protocol was developed in the late 1980s. Cell proliferation is measured by the incorporation of tritiated thymidine into dividing cells on two culture dates and using three concentrations of beryllium sulfate. Results are expressed as a 'stimulation index' (SI) which is the ratio of the amount of tritiated thymidine (measured by beta counts) in the simulated cells divided by the counts for the unstimulated cells on the same culture day. Several statistical methods for use in the routine analysis of the BeLPT were proposed in the early 1990s. The least absolute values (LAV) method was recommended for routine analysis of the BeLPT. This report further evaluates the LAV method using new data, and proposes a new method for identification of an abnormal or borderline test. This new statistical-biological positive (SBP) method reflects the clinical judgment that: (i) at least two SIs show a 'positive' response to beryllium; and (ii) that the maximum of the six SIs must exceed a cut-point that is determined from a reference data set of normal individuals whose blood has been tested by the same method in the same serum. The new data is from the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge (Y-12) and consists of 1080 workers and 33 non-exposed control BeLPTs (all tested in the same serum). Graphical results are presented to explain the statistical method, and the new SBP method is applied to the Y-12 group. The true positive rate and specificity of the new method were estimated to be 86% and 97%, respectively. An electronic notebook that is accessible via the Internet was used in

Diagnostic test for prenatal identification of Down's syndrome and mental retardation and gene therapy therefor

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Desmond J.; Rubin, Edward M.

2000-01-01

A a diagnostic test useful for prenatal identification of Down syndrome and mental retardation. A method for gene therapy for correction and treatment of Down syndrome. DYRK gene involved in the ability to learn. A method for diagnosing Down's syndrome and mental retardation and an assay therefor. A pharmaceutical composition for treatment of Down's syndrome mental retardation.

Co-morbid anxiety disorders in patients with schizophrenia in a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Anxiety disorder is a blanket term covering several dif- ferent forms of abnormal and ..... Identification of anxiety disorder by managing psychiatrist. N (%). Statistics p-value .... Fastenau P.S. and Bond G.R. Obsessive compulsive symptoms in ...

Binge-eating disorder: Clinical and therapeutic advances.

Science.gov (United States)

Hutson, Peter H; Balodis, Iris M; Potenza, Marc N

2018-02-01

Binge-eating disorder (BED) is the most prevalent eating disorder with estimates of 2-5% of the general adult population. Nonetheless, its pathophysiology is poorly understood. Furthermore, there exist few therapeutic options for its effective treatment. Here we review the current state of binge-eating neurobiology and pharmacology, drawing from clinical therapeutic, neuroimaging, cognitive, human genetic and animal model studies. These studies, which are still in their infancy, indicate that while there are many gaps in our knowledge, several key neural substrates appear to underpin binge-eating and may be conserved between human and animals. This observation suggests that behavioral intermediate phenotypes or endophenotypes relevant to BED may be modeled in animals, facilitating the identification and testing of novel pharmacological targets. The development of novel, safe and effective pharmacological therapies for the treatment of BED will enhance the ability of clinicians to provide optimal care for people with BED. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Method of Increasing Identification Accuracy under Experimental Tests of Dynamic Objects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. N. Pavlov

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The work concerns a problem of increasing identification accuracy of linear dynamic systems on the basis of experimental data obtained by applying test signals to the system.The work is aimed at considering a possibility to use the experimentally obtained hodograph counting to determine parameters of this system in a specific context of the linear dynamic system of the second order.An offer was to use a method of harmonious linearization and a described cut method.The type of frequency transfer function of the identified system was assumed as known.It was supposed that when obtaining the frequency characteristics of a real system there are disturbances interfering with experiment as a result of which points of experimentally received hodograph are random displaced.An identification problem solution was searched in a class of the hodograph set by the system model, which had the same type of frequency transfer function, as the type of frequency transfer function of the identified system.The unknown coefficients of frequency transfer function of the system model were searched through minimizing a proximity criterion (measure of the experimentally received hodograph of the system and of the system model hodograph over the entire aggregate of points. One of the authors described this criterion in the earlier publication.The solution to a problem of nonlinear dynamic system identification by the frequency hodograph was reduced to the solution of the system of equations of the rather unknown linear parameters of frequency transfer function of the system model.The program to simulate a process of the pseudo-experimental data, containing random errors, and determine parameters of this system is developed for a dynamic system of the second order.A conducted computing experiment is conducted to estimate an error at which the offered algorithm defines the values of parameters of this system.

Can DSM-IV borderline personality disorder be diagnosed via dimensional personality traits? Implications for the DSM-5 personality disorder proposal.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Joshua D; Morse, Jennifer Q; Nolf, Kimberly; Stepp, Stephanie D; Pilkonis, Paul A

2012-11-01

The proposal for the diagnosis of personality disorders (PDs) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5;American Psychiatric Association, in preparation) involves, in part, the use of elevated scores on dimensional personality traits. For instance, the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in the DSM-5 will require evidence of self- and interpersonal impairment as well as elevated scores on traits of emotional lability, anxiousness, separation insecurity, depressivity, impulsivity, risk taking, and hostility. Using a sample of individuals from the community (N = 134), half of whom were receiving psychiatric treatment, we tested whether the summation of relevant personality trait scores, using data derived from a measure of the Five-Factor Model of personality (FFM), would result in a construct that corresponds to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV, American Psychiatric Association, 2000) BPD construct as scored by expert consensus ratings. The DSM-IV and FFM BPD scores were significantly correlated (r = .60) and generated highly similar patterns of relations (ricc = .84) with key constructs from BPD's nomological network. These data should serve to allay concerns that the DSM-5's new diagnostic approach will be detrimental to the identification of BPD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).

Talent identification in Hungary: From identification to investigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szilvia Péter-Szarka

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This article provides an outline of talent identification practices and challenges in Hungary. First, it gives a summary of gifted education in the country; then the general challenges of talent identification are introduced: difficulties of defining talent, talent as potential, environmental factors, the role of perseverance and motivation, and individual variety. Later, recent Hungarian identification practices are shown, followed by a summary and a conclusion about how our identification practice should be developed into an investigation of individual characetristics. We propose stronger focus on the use of cognitive profile tests, investigation of interest-based characteristics, the use of observation and dynamic assessment methods, teacher nomination and emphasizing the need for effort. The focus from identification toward investigation exploring individual needs and characteristics to provide the most appropriate pathway for development in the 21st century seems to be a more effective way of talent support than mere selection.

A Test of Motor (Not Executive) Planning in Developmental Coordination Disorder and Autism

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Swieten, Lisa M.; van Bergen, Elsje; Williams, Justin H G; Wilson, Andrew D.; Plumb, Mandy S.; Kent, Samuel W.; Mon-Williams, Mark A.

Grip selection tasks have been used to test "planning" in both autism and developmental coordination disorder (DCD). We differentiate between motor and executive planning and present a modified motor planning task. Participants grasped a cylinder in 1 of 2 orientations before turning it clockwise or

A test of motor (not executive) planning in developmental coordination disorder and autism

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Swieten, L.M.; van Bergen, E.; Williams, J.H.G.; Wilson, A.D.; Plumb, M.S.; Kent, S.W.; Mon-Williams, M.A.

2010-01-01

Grip selection tasks have been used to test "planning" in both autism and developmental coordination disorder (DCD). We differentiate between motor and executive planning and present a modified motor planning task. Participants grasped a cylinder in 1 of 2 orientations before turning it clockwise or

Towards Identification of Rotordynamic Properties for Seals in Multiphase Flow Using Active Magnetic Bearings. Design and Commissioning of a Novel Test Facility

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Voigt, Andreas Jauernik

important contact free force measurement capabilities. The third module houses the smooth annular test seals and the fourth module adds a single phase air flow supply to the test facility infrastructure. For experimental identification purposes the ability to acquire precise information of the forces...... developed and refined, however a pronounced lack of experimental data renders benchmarking and validation impossible. This thesis focusses on documenting the design and commissioning of a test facility enabling the much needed experimental identification of rotordynamic properties for turbomachinery seals...... in both single phase and multiphase flow. The commissioning phase of the test facility solely employs single phase air flow for performance assessment of the test facility and no experimental multiphase results are included in the thesis. The test facility consists of four modules of which an industrial...

Benefits of using culturally unfamiliar stimuli in ambiguous emotion identification: A cross-cultural study.

Science.gov (United States)

Koelkebeck, Katja; Kohl, Waldemar; Luettgenau, Julia; Triantafillou, Susanna; Ohrmann, Patricia; Satoh, Shinji; Minoshita, Seiko

2015-07-30

A novel emotion recognition task that employs photos of a Japanese mask representing a highly ambiguous stimulus was evaluated. As non-Asians perceive and/or label emotions differently from Asians, we aimed to identify patterns of task-performance in non-Asian healthy volunteers with a view to future patient studies. The Noh mask test was presented to 42 adult German participants. Reaction times and emotion attribution patterns were recorded. To control for emotion identification abilities, a standard emotion recognition task was used among others. Questionnaires assessed personality traits. Finally, results were compared to age- and gender-matched Japanese volunteers. Compared to other tasks, German participants displayed slowest reaction times on the Noh mask test, indicating higher demands of ambiguous emotion recognition. They assigned more positive emotions to the mask than Japanese volunteers, demonstrating culture-dependent emotion identification patterns. As alexithymic and anxious traits were associated with slower reaction times, personality dimensions impacted on performance, as well. We showed an advantage of ambiguous over conventional emotion recognition tasks. Moreover, we determined emotion identification patterns in Western individuals impacted by personality dimensions, suggesting performance differences in clinical samples. Due to its properties, the Noh mask test represents a promising tool in the differential diagnosis of psychiatric disorders, e.g. schizophrenia. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

False identification use among college students increases the risk for alcohol use disorder: Results of a longitudinal study

Science.gov (United States)

Arria, Amelia M.; Caldeira, Kimberly M.; Vincent, Kathryn B.; Bugbee, Brittany A.; O’Grady, Kevin E.

2013-01-01

Background It is well known that using false identification (ID) is a common method by which underage youth in the US obtain alcohol. While false ID use is associated with high-risk drinking patterns, its association with alcohol use disorder (AUD), independent of other risk factors, has not been firmly established. Methods Participants were 1,015 college students recruited from one university and assessed annually during their first four years of college. Latent variable growth curve modeling was used to identify significant predictors of false ID use and test the hypothesis that false ID use increased the risk for AUD, by increasing the frequency and/or quantity of alcohol use. Several other hypothesized risk factors for AUD were accounted for, including demographics (sex, race, living situation, religiosity, socioeconomic status), individual characteristics (childhood conduct problems, sensation-seeking, age at first drink), high school behaviors (high school drinking frequency, drug use), family factors (parental monitoring, parental alcohol problems), perception of peer drinking norms, and other factors related to false ID use. Results False IDs were used by almost two-thirds (66.1%) of the sample. False ID use frequency was positively associated with baseline quantity and frequency of alcohol use, independent of all other factors tested. False ID use was not directly related to AUD risk, but indirectly predicted increases in AUD risk over time through its association with greater increases in alcohol use frequency over time. Several predictors of false ID use frequency were also identified. Conclusions False ID use may contribute to AUD risk by facilitating more frequent drinking. If replicated, these findings highlight the potential public health significance of policies that enforce sanctions against false ID use. Students who use false IDs represent an important target population for alcohol prevention activities. PMID:24134075

[Predictors of hospitalization for alcohol use disorder in Korean men].

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Hae-Sook; Park, Jeong-Eun; Park, Wan-Ju

2014-10-01

This study was done to identify the patterns and significant predictors influencing hospitalization of Korean men for alcohol use disorder. A descriptive study design was utilized. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires from 143 inpatients who met the DSM-5 alcohol use disorder criteria and were receiving treatment and 157 social drinkers living in the community. The questionnaires included Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Alcohol Problems, Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ), Life Position, and The Korean version of the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST-K). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, χ²-test, F-test, Pearson correlation coefficients, and logistic regression with forward stepwise. AUDIT had significant correlations with alcohol problems, alcohol expectancy, and parents' alcoholism. In logistic regression, factors significantly affecting hospitalization were divorced (OR=4.18, 95% CI: 1.28-13.71), graduation from elementary school (OR=28.50, 95% CI: 8.07-100.69), middle school (OR=6.66, 95% CI: 2.21-20.09), high school (OR=6.31, 95% CI: 2.59-15.36), drinking alone (OR=9.07, 95% CI: 1.78-46.17), family history of alcoholism (OR=2.41, 95% CI: 1.11-5.25), interpersonal relationship problems (OR=1.28, 95% CI:1.17-1.41), and sexual enhancement of alcohol expectancy (OR=0.83, 95% CI: 0.72-0.94), which accounted for 53% of the variance. Results suggest that interpersonal relationship programs and customized cognitive programs for social drinkers in the community are needed to decreased alcohol related hospitalization in Korean men.

Rapid identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of positive blood cultures using MALDI-TOF MS and a modification of the standardised disc diffusion test: a pilot study.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Fitzgerald, C

2016-04-27

In an era when clinical microbiology laboratories are under increasing financial pressure, there is a need for inexpensive, yet effective, rapid microbiology tests. The aim of this study was to evaluate a novel modification of standard methodology for the identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of pathogens in positive blood cultures, reducing the turnaround time of laboratory results by 24 h.

Random Gap Detection Test (RGDT) performance of individuals with central auditory processing disorders from 5 to 25 years of age.

Science.gov (United States)

Dias, Karin Ziliotto; Jutras, Benoît; Acrani, Isabela Olszanski; Pereira, Liliane Desgualdo

2012-02-01

The aim of the present study was to assess the auditory temporal resolution ability in individuals with central auditory processing disorders, to examine the maturation effect and to investigate the relationship between the performance on a temporal resolution test with the performance on other central auditory tests. Participants were divided in two groups: 131 with Central Auditory Processing Disorder and 94 with normal auditory processing. They had pure-tone air-conduction thresholds no poorer than 15 dB HL bilaterally, normal admittance measures and presence of acoustic reflexes. Also, they were assessed with a central auditory test battery. Participants who failed at least one or more tests were included in the Central Auditory Processing Disorder group and those in the control group obtained normal performance on all tests. Following the auditory processing assessment, the Random Gap Detection Test was administered to the participants. A three-way ANOVA was performed. Correlation analyses were also done between the four Random Gap Detection Test subtests data as well as between Random Gap Detection Test data and the other auditory processing test results. There was a significant difference between the age-group performances in children with and without Central Auditory Processing Disorder. Also, 48% of children with Central Auditory Processing Disorder failed the Random Gap Detection Test and the percentage decreased as a function of age. The highest percentage (86%) was found in the 5-6 year-old children. Furthermore, results revealed a strong significant correlation between the four Random Gap Detection Test subtests. There was a modest correlation between the Random Gap Detection Test results and the dichotic listening tests. No significant correlation was observed between the Random Gap Detection Test data and the results of the other tests in the battery. Random Gap Detection Test should not be administered to children younger than 7 years old because

Mood disorders in childhood and adolescence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thiago Botter Maio Rocha

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The identification and treatment of mood disorders in children and adolescents has grown over the last decades. Major depression is one of the most common and debilitating disorders worldwide, imposing a massive burden to the youth population. Bipolar disorder is being increasingly recognized as having its roots early in life, and its presentation during childhood and adolescence has been submitted to extensive research. This review aims to highlight clinical aspects of the current knowledge on mood disorders in the pediatric population, presenting updated information on epidemiology, diagnostic procedures, and management strategies. Limitations of available evidence and future directions of research in the field are also discussed.

Optimal design of tests for heat exchanger fouling identification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmer, Kyle A.; Hale, William T.; Such, Kyle D.; Shea, Brian R.; Bollas, George M.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Built-in test design that optimizes the information extractable from the said test. • Method minimizes the covariance of a fault with system uncertainty. • Method applied for the identification and quantification of heat exchanger fouling. • Heat exchanger fouling is identifiable despite the uncertainty in inputs and states. - Graphical Abstract: - Abstract: Particulate fouling in plate fin heat exchangers of aircraft environmental control systems is a recurring issue in environments rich in foreign object debris. Heat exchanger fouling detection, in terms of quantification of its severity, is critical for aircraft maintenance scheduling and safe operation. In this work, we focus on methods for offline fouling detection during aircraft ground handling, where the allowable variability range of admissible inputs is wider. We explore methods of optimal experimental design to estimate heat exchanger inputs and input trajectories that maximize the identifiability of fouling. In particular, we present a methodology in which D-optimality is used as a criterion for statistically significant inference of heat exchanger fouling in uncertain environments. The optimal tests are designed on the basis of a heat exchanger model of the inherent mass, energy and momentum balances, validated against literature data. The model is then used to infer sensitivities of the heat exchanger outputs with respect to fouling metrics and maximize them by manipulating input trajectories; thus enhancing the accuracy in quantifying the fouling extent. The proposed methodology is evaluated with statistical indices of the confidence in estimating thermal fouling resistance at uncertain operating conditions, explored in a series of case studies.

Identification of gamma irradiated pulse seed (Lens sp.) based on germination test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaudhuri, Sadhan K.

2001-01-01

The germination test of pulse seed provided a reliable method for the identification of lentil seeds that had been subjected to irradiation. Root and shoot lengths were found more sensitive to the gamma irradiation than the germination percentages. The critical dose that prevented the root elongation varied from 0.1 kGy to 0.5 kGy. Germination percentage was reduced drastically above 0.2 kGy. Above 1.0 kGy dose, the lentil seeds did not germinate. The sensitivity of lentil seeds to gamma irradiation was inversely proportional to moisture content of the seeds. In addition, storage period up to 12 months had little effect on irradiation the induced reduction of root and shoot lengths. Thus, this test can determine the difference between irradiated and non-irradiated lentil seeds even 12 months after gamma irradiation. (author)

Identification of significant features by the Global Mean Rank test.

Science.gov (United States)

Klammer, Martin; Dybowski, J Nikolaj; Hoffmann, Daniel; Schaab, Christoph

2014-01-01

With the introduction of omics-technologies such as transcriptomics and proteomics, numerous methods for the reliable identification of significantly regulated features (genes, proteins, etc.) have been developed. Experimental practice requires these tests to successfully deal with conditions such as small numbers of replicates, missing values, non-normally distributed expression levels, and non-identical distributions of features. With the MeanRank test we aimed at developing a test that performs robustly under these conditions, while favorably scaling with the number of replicates. The test proposed here is a global one-sample location test, which is based on the mean ranks across replicates, and internally estimates and controls the false discovery rate. Furthermore, missing data is accounted for without the need of imputation. In extensive simulations comparing MeanRank to other frequently used methods, we found that it performs well with small and large numbers of replicates, feature dependent variance between replicates, and variable regulation across features on simulation data and a recent two-color microarray spike-in dataset. The tests were then used to identify significant changes in the phosphoproteomes of cancer cells induced by the kinase inhibitors erlotinib and 3-MB-PP1 in two independently published mass spectrometry-based studies. MeanRank outperformed the other global rank-based methods applied in this study. Compared to the popular Significance Analysis of Microarrays and Linear Models for Microarray methods, MeanRank performed similar or better. Furthermore, MeanRank exhibits more consistent behavior regarding the degree of regulation and is robust against the choice of preprocessing methods. MeanRank does not require any imputation of missing values, is easy to understand, and yields results that are easy to interpret. The software implementing the algorithm is freely available for academic and commercial use.

Genome-wide sequencing for the identification of rearrangements associated with Tourette syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hooper Sean D

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Tourette Syndrome (TS is a neuropsychiatric disorder in children characterized by motor and verbal tics. Although several genes have been suggested in the etiology of TS, the genetic mechanisms remain poorly understood. Methods Using cytogenetics and FISH analysis, we identified an apparently balanced t(6,22(q16.2;p13 in a male patient with TS and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD. In order to map the breakpoints and to identify additional submicroscopic rearrangements, we performed whole genome mate-pair sequencing and CGH-array analysis on DNA from the proband. Results Sequence and CGH array analysis revealed a 400 kb deletion located 1.3 Mb telomeric of the chromosome 6q breakpoint, which has not been reported in controls. The deletion affects three genes (GPR63, NDUFA4 and KLHL32 and overlaps a region previously found deleted in a girl with autistic features and speech delay. The proband’s mother, also a carrier of the translocation, was diagnosed with OCD and shares the deletion. We also describe a further potentially related rearrangement which, while unmapped in Homo sapiens, was consistent with the chimpanzee genome. Conclusions We conclude that genome-wide sequencing at relatively low resolution can be used for the identification of submicroscopic rearrangements. We also show that large rearrangements may escape detection using standard analysis of whole genome sequencing data. Our findings further provide a candidate region for TS and OCD on chromosome 6q16.

Application of the nuclide identification system SHAMAN in monitoring the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aarnio, P.A.; Ala-Heikkilae, J.J.; Hakulinen, T.T.; Nikkinen, M.T.

1998-01-01

SHAMAN is an expert for qualitative and quantitative radionuclide identification in gamma spectrometry. SHAMAN requires as input the calibrations, peak search, and fitting results from reliable spectral analysis software, such as SAMPO. SHAMAN uses a comprehensive reference library with 2600 radionuclides and 80 000 gamma-lines, as well as a rule base consisting of sixty inference rules. Identification results are presented both via an interactive graphical interface and in the form of configurable text reports. An organization has been established for monitoring the recent Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. For radionuclide monitoring, 80 stations will be set up around the world. Air-filter gamma-spectra will be collected from these stations on a daily basis and they will need to be reliably analyzed with minimum turnaround time. SHAMAN is currently being evaluated within the prototype monitoring system as an automated radionuclide identifier, in parallel with existing radionuclide identification software. In air-filter monitoring, very low concentrations of radionuclides are measured from bulky sources in close geometry and with long counting time. In this case true coincidence summing and self-absorption become important factors. SHAMAN is able to take into account these complicated phenomena, and the results it produces have been found to be very reliable and accurate. (author)

Reliability of physical examination tests for the diagnosis of knee disorders: Evidence from a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Décary, Simon; Ouellet, Philippe; Vendittoli, Pascal-André; Desmeules, François

2016-12-01

Clinicians often rely on physical examination tests to guide them in the diagnostic process of knee disorders. However, reliability of these tests is often overlooked and may influence the consistency of results and overall diagnostic validity. Therefore, the objective of this study was to systematically review evidence on the reliability of physical examination tests for the diagnosis of knee disorders. A structured literature search was conducted in databases up to January 2016. Included studies needed to report reliability measures of at least one physical test for any knee disorder. Methodological quality was evaluated using the QAREL checklist. A qualitative synthesis of the evidence was performed. Thirty-three studies were included with a mean QAREL score of 5.5 ± 0.5. Based on low to moderate quality evidence, the Thessaly test for meniscal injuries reached moderate inter-rater reliability (k = 0.54). Based on moderate to excellent quality evidence, the Lachman for anterior cruciate ligament injuries reached moderate to excellent inter-rater reliability (k = 0.42 to 0.81). Based on low to moderate quality evidence, the Tibiofemoral Crepitus, Joint Line and Patellofemoral Pain/Tenderness, Bony Enlargement and Joint Pain on Movement tests for knee osteoarthritis reached fair to excellent inter-rater reliability (k = 0.29 to 0.93). Based on low to moderate quality evidence, the Lateral Glide, Lateral Tilt, Lateral Pull and Quality of Movement tests for patellofemoral pain reached moderate to good inter-rater reliability (k = 0.49 to 0.73). Many physical tests appear to reach good inter-rater reliability, but this is based on low-quality and conflicting evidence. High-quality research is required to evaluate the reliability of knee physical examination tests. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identification of non-linear kinematic hardening with bending and unbending tests in anisotropic sheet-metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brunet, M.; Morestin, F.; Godereaux, S.

2000-01-01

An inverse identification technique is proposed based on bending-unbending experiments on anisotropic sheet-metal strips. The initial anisotropy theory of plasticity is extended to include the concept of combined isotropic and non-linear kinematic hardening. This theory is adopted to characterise the anisotropic hardening due to loading-unloading which occurs in sheet-metal forming processes. To this end, a specific bending-unbending apparatus has been built to provide experimental moment-curvature curves. The constant bending moment applied over the length of the specimen to determine numerically the strain-stress behaviour but without Finite Element Analysis. Four constitutive parameters have to be identified by an inverse approach. Our identification results show that bending-unbending tests are suitable to model quite accurately the constitutive behaviour of sheet metals under complex loading paths. (author)

Isolation and identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Moreover, this study compared the efficacy of the different identification tests with gold standard, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. The tests used were tube coagulase, DNase agar test, antibiogram, several routine biochemical identification tests and PCR assays. PCR assay used specific primers for resistance or ID ...

Associations between olfactory identification and verbal memory in patients with schizophrenia, first-degree relatives, and non-psychiatric controls.

Science.gov (United States)

Compton, Michael T; McKenzie Mack, LaTasha; Esterberg, Michelle L; Bercu, Zachary; Kryda, Aimee D; Quintero, Luis; Weiss, Paul S; Walker, Elaine F

2006-09-01

Olfactory identification deficits and verbal memory impairments may represent trait markers for schizophrenia. The aims of this study were to: (1) assess olfactory identification in patients, first-degree relatives, and non-psychiatric controls, (2) determine differences in verbal memory functioning in these three groups, and (3) study correlations between olfactory identification and three specific verbal memory domains. A total of 106 participants-41 patients with schizophrenia or related disorders, 27 relatives, and 38 controls-were assessed with the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) and the Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition. Linear mixed models, accounting for clustering within families and relevant covariates, were used to compare scores across groups and to examine associations between olfactory identification ability and the three verbal memory domains. A group effect was apparent for all four measures, and relatives scored midway between patients and controls on all three memory domains. UPSIT scores were significantly correlated with all three forms of verbal memory. Age, verbal working memory, and auditory recognition delayed memory were independently predictive of UPSIT scores. Impairments in olfactory identification and verbal memory appear to represent two correlated risk markers for schizophrenia, and frontal-temporal deficits likely account for both impairments.

The DiaNAH test battery for visual perceptual disorders : Validity and efficacy in rehabilitation practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heutink, Jochem; de Vries, Stefanie; Melis, Bart; Vrijling, Anne; Tucha, Oliver

2018-01-01

We developed the DiaNAH test battery for the screening of mid-level and higher-order visual perceptual disorders in clinical practice. The DiaNAH battery comprises 11 different tests and can be administered in 30-60 minutes. Important feature of the DiaNAH battery is that it is administered on a 24”

Construction, implementation and testing of an image identification system using computer vision methods for fruit flies with economic importance (Diptera: Tephritidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jiang-Ning; Chen, Xiao-Lin; Hou, Xin-Wen; Zhou, Li-Bing; Zhu, Chao-Dong; Ji, Li-Qiang

2017-07-01

Many species of Tephritidae are damaging to fruit, which might negatively impact international fruit trade. Automatic or semi-automatic identification of fruit flies are greatly needed for diagnosing causes of damage and quarantine protocols for economically relevant insects. A fruit fly image identification system named AFIS1.0 has been developed using 74 species belonging to six genera, which include the majority of pests in the Tephritidae. The system combines automated image identification and manual verification, balancing operability and accuracy. AFIS1.0 integrates image analysis and expert system into a content-based image retrieval framework. In the the automatic identification module, AFIS1.0 gives candidate identification results. Afterwards users can do manual selection based on comparing unidentified images with a subset of images corresponding to the automatic identification result. The system uses Gabor surface features in automated identification and yielded an overall classification success rate of 87% to the species level by Independent Multi-part Image Automatic Identification Test. The system is useful for users with or without specific expertise on Tephritidae in the task of rapid and effective identification of fruit flies. It makes the application of computer vision technology to fruit fly recognition much closer to production level. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Photo-identification as a technique for recognition of individual fish: a test with the freshwater armored catfish Rineloricaria aequalicuspis Reis & Cardoso, 2001 (Siluriformes: Loricariidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renato B. Dala-Corte

Full Text Available Abstract Photo-identification allows individual recognition of animal species based on natural marks, being an alternative to other more stressful artificial tagging/marking techniques. An increasing number of studies with different animal groups has shown that photo-identification can successfully be used in several situations, but its feasibility to study freshwater fishes is yet to be explored. We demonstrate the potential use of photo-identification for intraspecific recognition of individuals in the stream-dwelling loricariid Rineloricaria aequalicuspis . We tested photo-identification in laboratory and field conditions based on the interindividual variability in abdominal bony plates. Our test yielded high correct matches in both laboratory (100% and field conditions (> 97%, comparable to other reliable techniques and to studies that successfully used photo-identification in other animals. In field conditions, the number of correct matches did not differ statistically between computer-assisted and naked-eye identification. However, the average time expended to conclude computer-assisted photo evaluations was about half of the time expended to conclude naked-eye evaluations. This result may be exacerbated when using database with large number of images. Our results indicate that photo-identification can be a feasible alternative technique to study freshwater fish species, allowing for a wider use of mark-recapture in ecological and behavioral studies.

Test-retest reliability of the diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder in childhood and adolescence - A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Salamon, Sarah; Santelmann, Hanno; Franklin, Jeremy; Baethge, Christopher

2018-04-01

Reliability of schizoaffective disorder (SAD) diagnoses is low in adults but unclear in children and adolescents (CAD). We estimate the test-retest reliability of SAD and its key differential diagnoses (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and unipolar depression). Systematic literature search of Medline, Embase, and PsycInfo for studies on test-retest reliability of SAD, in CAD. Cohen's kappa was extracted from studies. We performed meta-analysis for kappa, including subgroup and sensitivity analysis (PROSPERO protocol: CRD42013006713). Out of > 4000 records screened, seven studies were included. We estimated kappa values of 0.27 [95%-CI: 0.07 0.47] for SAD, 0.56 [0.29; 0.83] for schizophrenia, 0.64 [0.55; 0.74] for bipolar disorder, and 0.66 [0.52; 0.81] for unipolar depression. In 5/7 studies kappa of SAD was lower than that of schizophrenia; similar trends emerged for bipolar disorder (4/5) and unipolar depression (2/3). Estimates of positive agreement of SAD diagnoses supported these results. The number of studies and patients included is low. The point-estimate of the test-retest reliability of schizoaffective disorder is only fair, and lower than that of its main differential diagnoses. All kappa values under study were lower in children and adolescents samples than those reported for adults. Clinically, schizoaffective disorder should be diagnosed in strict adherence to the operationalized criteria and ought to be re-evaluated regularly. Should larger studies confirm the insufficient reliability of schizoaffective disorder in children and adolescents, the clinical value of the diagnosis is highly doubtful. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Central Coherence in Eating Disorders: A Synthesis of Studies Using the Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure Test.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katie Lang

Full Text Available Large variability in tests and differences in scoring systems used to study central coherence in eating disorders may lead to different interpretations, inconsistent findings and between study discrepancies. This study aimed to address inconsistencies by collating data from several studies from the same research group that used the Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (Rey Figure in order to produce norms to provide benchmark data for future studies.Data was collated from 984 participants in total. Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, recovered Anorexia Nervosa, unaffected family members and healthy controls were compared using the Rey Figure.Poor global processing was observed across all current eating disorder sub-groups and in unaffected relatives. There was no difference in performance between recovered AN and HC groups.This is the largest dataset reported in the literature and supports previous studies implicating poor global processing across eating disorders using the Rey Figure. It provides robust normative data useful for future studies.

Prevention of eating disorders in female athletes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Coelho GMO

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Gabriela Morgado de Oliveira Coelho,1 Ainá Innocencio da Silva Gomes,2 Beatriz Gonçalves Ribeiro,2 Eliane de Abreu Soares11Nutrition Institute, Rio de Janeiro State University, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 2Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Macaé Campus, Granja dos Cavaleiros, Macaé, BrazilAbstract: Eating disorders are serious mental diseases that frequently appear in female athletes. They are abnormal eating behaviors that can be diagnosed only by strict criteria. Disordered eating, although also characterized as abnormal eating behavior, does not include all the criteria for diagnosing eating disorders and is therefore a way to recognize the problem in its early stages. It is important to identify factors to avoid clinical progression in this high-risk population. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to discuss critical information for the prevention of eating disorders in female athletes. This review discusses the major correlates for the development of an eating disorder. We also discuss which athletes are possibly at highest risk for eating disorders, including those from lean sports and female adolescent athletes. There is an urgent need for the demystification of myths surrounding body weight and performance in sports. This review includes studies that tested different prevention programs' effectiveness, and the majority showed positive results. Educational programs are the best method for primary prevention of eating disorders. For secondary prevention, early identification is essential and should be performed by preparticipation exams, the recognition of dietary markers, and the use of validated self-report questionnaires or clinical interviews. In addition, more randomized clinical trials are needed with athletes from multiple sports in order for the most reliable recommendations to be made and for some sporting regulations to be changed.Keywords: nutrition, disordered eating, sport, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa

Identification of Psychological Dysfunctions and Eating Disorders in Obese Women Seeking Weight Loss: Cross-Sectional Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maude Panchaud Cornut

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. The aim of this study is to analyse associations between eating behaviour and psychological dysfunctions in treatment-seeking obese patients and identify parameters for the development of diagnostic tools with regard to eating and psychological disorders. Design and Methods. Cross-sectional data were analysed from 138 obese women. Bulimic Investigatory Test of Edinburgh and Eating Disorder Inventory-2 assessed eating behaviours. Beck Depression Inventory II, Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, form Y, Rathus Assertiveness Schedule, and Marks and Mathews Fear Questionnaire assessed psychological profile. Results. 61% of patients showed moderate or major depressive symptoms and 77% showed symptoms of anxiety. Half of the participants presented with a low degree of assertiveness. No correlation was found between psychological profile and age or anthropometric measurements. The prevalence and severity of depression, anxiety, and assertiveness increased with the degree of eating disorders. The feeling of ineffectiveness explained a large degree of score variance. It explained 30 to 50% of the variability of assertiveness, phobias, anxiety, and depression. Conclusion. Psychological dysfunctions had a high prevalence and their severity is correlated with degree of eating disorders. The feeling of ineffectiveness constitutes the major predictor of the psychological profile and could open new ways to develop screening tools.

Central auditory processing disorder (CAPD tests in a school-age hearing screening programme – analysis of 76,429 children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piotr H. Skarzynski

2015-02-01

Full Text Available [b]Introduction and objective[/b]. Hearing disorders among school-age children are a current concern. Continuing studies have been performed in Poland since 2008, and on 2 December 2011 the EU Council adopted Conclusions on the Early Detection and Treatment of Communication Disorders in Children, Including the Use of e-Health Tools and innovative Solutions. The discussion now focuses not only on the efficacy of hearing screening programmes in schoolchildren, but what should be its general aim and what tests it should include? This paper makes the case that it is important to include central auditory processing disorder (CAPD tests. One such test is the dichotic digits test (DDT. The aim of the presented study was to evaluate the usefulness of the DDT in detecting central hearing disorders in school-age children. [b]Materials and methods[/b]. During hearing screening programmes conducted in Poland in 2008–2010, exactly 235,664 children (7–12-years-old were screened in 9,325 schools. Of this number, 7,642 were examined using the DDT test for CAPD. Screening programmes were conducted using the Sense Examination Platform. [b]Results.[/b] With the cut-off criterion set at the 5th percentile, results for the DDT applied in a divided attention mode were 11.4% positive for 7-year-olds and 11.3% for 12-year-olds. In the focused attention mode, the comparable result for 12-year-olds was 9.7%. There was a clear right ear advantage. In children with positive DDT results, a higher incidence of other disorders, such as dyslexia, was observed. [b]Conclusions[/b]. A test for CAPD should be included in the hearing screening of school-age children. The results of this study form the basis for developing Polish standards in this area.

Rapid paper disk test for identification of Helicobacter pylori in mixed cultures of gerbil gastric homogenates.

Science.gov (United States)

Castillo-Juarez, Israel; Rangel-Vega, Adrian; Romero, Irma

2010-10-01

A method denominated rapid paper disk test (RPDT) was developed to identify H. pylori colonies in complex cultures obtained from gerbil gastric homogenates. Identification is based on a characteristic reaction pattern (RP) for H. pylori colonies given by the combination of the urease-oxidase activities on a paper disk. Compared to the RPs obtained from gerbil's intestinal tract isolated bacteria, H. pylori RP is completely distinguishable, even from those of bacteria that share one or both activities as are Aerococcus urinae, Bacillus sphaericus, Bacillus brevis, Corynebacterium pseudogenitalium, and Staphylococcus simulans, as well as from those produced by collection strains Proteus vulgaris and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This method allows the practical quantification of H. pylori colonies in highly contaminated plates. RPDT has the following advantages over other methodologies that use indicators in the medium: it employs two of the three routinely used H. pylori biochemical identification tests, the reagents do not interfere with bacterial viability, there are no restrictions in relation to the medium used, and it is a simple, fast, and low-cost method. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic validity of physical examination tests for common knee disorders: An overview of systematic reviews and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Décary, Simon; Ouellet, Philippe; Vendittoli, Pascal-André; Roy, Jean-Sébastien; Desmeules, François

2017-01-01

More evidence on diagnostic validity of physical examination tests for knee disorders is needed to lower frequently used and costly imaging tests. To conduct a systematic review of systematic reviews (SR) and meta-analyses (MA) evaluating the diagnostic validity of physical examination tests for knee disorders. A structured literature search was conducted in five databases until January 2016. Methodological quality was assessed using the AMSTAR. Seventeen reviews were included with mean AMSTAR score of 5.5 ± 2.3. Based on six SR, only the Lachman test for ACL injuries is diagnostically valid when individually performed (Likelihood ratio (LR+):10.2, LR-:0.2). Based on two SR, the Ottawa Knee Rule is a valid screening tool for knee fractures (LR-:0.05). Based on one SR, the EULAR criteria had a post-test probability of 99% for the diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis. Based on two SR, a complete physical examination performed by a trained health provider was found to be diagnostically valid for ACL, PCL and meniscal injuries as well as for cartilage lesions. When individually performed, common physical tests are rarely able to rule in or rule out a specific knee disorder, except the Lachman for ACL injuries. There is low-quality evidence concerning the validity of combining history elements and physical tests. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genetics of bipolar disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kerner B

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Berit Kerner Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA Abstract: Bipolar disorder is a common, complex genetic disorder, but the mode of transmission remains to be discovered. Many researchers assume that common genomic variants carry some risk for manifesting the disease. The research community has celebrated the first genome-wide significant associations between common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs and bipolar disorder. Currently, attempts are under way to translate these findings into clinical practice, genetic counseling, and predictive testing. However, some experts remain cautious. After all, common variants explain only a very small percentage of the genetic risk, and functional consequences of the discovered SNPs are inconclusive. Furthermore, the associated SNPs are not disease specific, and the majority of individuals with a “risk” allele are healthy. On the other hand, population-based genome-wide studies in psychiatric disorders have rediscovered rare structural variants and mutations in genes, which were previously known to cause genetic syndromes and monogenic Mendelian disorders. In many Mendelian syndromes, psychiatric symptoms are prevalent. Although these conditions do not fit the classic description of any specific psychiatric disorder, they often show nonspecific psychiatric symptoms that cross diagnostic boundaries, including intellectual disability, behavioral abnormalities, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, attention deficit, impulse control deficit, and psychosis. Although testing for chromosomal disorders and monogenic Mendelian disorders is well established, testing for common variants is still controversial. The standard concept of genetic testing includes at least three broad criteria that need to be fulfilled before new genetic tests should be introduced: analytical validity, clinical validity, and clinical utility. These criteria are

Emotion Awareness and Identification Skills in Adolescent Girls with Bulimia Nervosa

Science.gov (United States)

Sim, Leslie; Zeman, Janice

2004-01-01

This study examined emotion-identification skills in 19 adolescent girls (M age = 16 years, 8 months) diagnosed with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM-IV], American Psychiatric Association, 1994) diagnosis of bulimia nervosa or eating disorder not otherwise specified in the bulimic spectrum, 19 age-matched girls…

The utility of screen for child anxiety related emotional disorders (SCARED) as a tool for identifying children at high risk for prevalent anxiety disorders

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Muris, P.; Merckelbach, H.; Kindt, M.; Bögels, S.; Dreessen, L.; van Dorp, C.; Habets, A.; Rosmuller, S.; Snieder, N.

2001-01-01

The current study examined the utility of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) as a screening tool for the identification of children at high risk for prevalent childhood anxiety disorders. The child version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM (KSCID) was used

Identification of exponent from load-deformation relation for soft materials from impact tests

Science.gov (United States)

Ciornei, F. C.; Alaci, S.; Romanu, I. C.; Ciornei, M. C.; Sopon, G.

2018-01-01

When two bodies are brought into contact, the magnitude of occurring reaction forces increase together with the amplitude of deformations. The load-deformation dependency of two contacting bodies is described by a function having the form F = Cxα . An accurate illustration of this relationship assumes finding the precise coefficient C and exponent α. This representation proved to be very useful in hardness tests, in dynamic systems modelling or in considerations upon the elastic-plastic ratio concerning a Hertzian contact. The classical method for identification of the exponent consists in finding it from quasi-static tests. The drawback of the method is the fact that the accurate estimation of the exponent supposes precise identification of the instant of contact initiation. To overcome this aspect, the following observation is exploited: during an impact process, the dissipated energy is converted into heat released by internal friction in the materials and energy for plastic deformations. The paper is based on the remark that for soft materials the hysteresis curves obtained for a static case are similar to the ones obtained for medium velocities. Furthermore, utilizing the fact that for the restitution phase the load-deformation dependency is elastic, a method for finding the α exponent for compression phase is proposed. The maximum depth of the plastic deformations obtained for a series of collisions, by launching, from different heights, a steel ball in free falling on an immobile prism made of soft material, is evaluated by laser profilometry method. The condition that the area of the hysteresis loop equals the variation of kinetical energy of the ball is imposed and two tests are required for finding the exponent. Five collisions from different launching heights of the ball were taken into account. For all the possible impact-pair cases, the values of the exponent were found and close values were obtained.

Development and validation of real-time PCR tests for the identification of four Spodoptera species: Spodoptera eridania, Spodoptera frugiperda, Spodoptera littoralis, and Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Van de Vossenberg, B T L H; Van der Straten, M J

2014-08-01

The genus Spodoptera comprises 31 species, 4 of which are listed as quarantine pests for the European Union: Spodoptera eridania (Cramer), Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith), Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval), and Spodoptera litura (F.). In international trade, the earlier life stages (eggs and larvae) are being intercepted at point of inspection most frequently, challenging the possibilities of morphological identification. To realize a rapid and reliable identification for all stages, we developed and validated four simplex real-time polymerase chain reaction identification tests based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene using dual-labeled hydrolysis probes. Method validation on dilutions of extracted DNA of the target organisms showed that low levels of template (up to 0.2-100 pg) can reliably be identified. No cross-reactivity was observed with 14 nontarget Spodoptera and 5 non-Spodoptera species in the specific Spodoptera tests. The tests showed to be repeatable, reproducible (both 100%), and robust. The new Spodoptera tests have proven to be suitable tools for routine identification of all life stages of S. eridania, S. frugiperda, S. littoralis, and S. litura.

Prospective identification of autism spectrum disorders in infancy and toddlerhood using developmental surveillance: the social attention and communication study.

Science.gov (United States)

Barbaro, Josephine; Dissanayake, Cheryl

2010-06-01

Despite behavioral markers of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) being evident within the first year of life, there remains little research on the prospective identification of these children in a community-based setting before 18 months. The aim in the Social Attention and Communication Study was to identify infants and toddlers at risk of an ASD during their first 2 years. A total of 241 Maternal and Child Health nurses were trained on the early signs of ASDs at 8, 12, 18 and 24 months. Using a developmental surveillance approach with a community-based sample, a cohort of 20,770 children was monitored on early social attention and communication behaviors. Those infants/toddlers identified as "at risk" were referred to the Social Attention and Communication Study team from 12 months for developmental and diagnostic assessments at 6 monthly intervals, until 24 months. A total of 216 children were referred, with 110 being further assessed. Of these, 89 children were classified with an ASD at 24 months, and 20 children had developmental and/or language delays, resulting in a Positive Predictive value of 81%. The estimated rate of ASDs in the Social Attention and Communication Study cohort ranged from 1:119 to 1:233 children. Estimated sensitivity ranged from 69% to 83.8%, and estimated specificity ranged from 99.8% to 99.9%. Developmental surveillance of social and communication behaviors, which differ according to the age at which the child is monitored, enables the accurate identification of children at risk for ASDs between 12 and 24 months. Education on the early signs is recommended for all primary health care professionals to facilitate early identification of ASDs.

Should adjustment disorder be conceptualized as transitional disorder? In pursuit of adjustment disorders definition.

Science.gov (United States)

Israelashvili, Moshe

2012-12-01

The DSM classification of an adjustment disorder is frequently criticized for not being well differentiated from other disorders. A possible reason for this is the vague definition of the term adjustment in social science literature. Hence, the current paper discusses the definition of adjustment and its implications for understanding maladjustment. Differential definitions of the terms adjustment, adaptation, socialization and coping are outlined, leading to the proposition that each one of them represents a different type of demand that is imposed on an individual who encounters a transitional event. Moreover, the four types of demands might be the possible sources of maladjustment. Helping people in transition requires an identification of the source, or combination of sources, that have led to the adjustment problem first, followed by the implementation of an adequate helping approach.

Identification of the material properties of Al 2024 alloy by means of inverse analysis and indentation tests

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moy, Charles K.S. [School of Civil Engineering, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006 (Australia); Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006 (Australia); ARC Centre of Excellence for Design in Light Metals, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006 (Australia); Bocciarelli, Massimiliano, E-mail: massimiliano.bocciarelli@polimi.it [Department of Structural Engineering, Technical University of Milan (Politecnico di Milano), 20133 Milan (Italy); Ringer, Simon P. [Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006 (Australia); ARC Centre of Excellence for Design in Light Metals, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006 (Australia); Ranzi, Gianluca [School of Civil Engineering, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006 (Australia); Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006 (Australia); ARC Centre of Excellence for Design in Light Metals, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006 (Australia)

2011-11-25

Highlights: {yields} Identification of mechanical properties by indentation test and inverse analysis. {yields} Pile-up height is also considered as experimental information. {yields} Inverse problem results to be well posed also in the case of mystical materials. {yields} 2024 Al alloy samples prepared using different age-hardening treatments are studied. - Abstract: This paper outlines an inverse analysis approach aimed at the identification of the mechanical properties of metallic materials based on the experimental results obtained from indentation tests. Previous work has shown the ill-posed nature of the inverse problem based on the load-penetration curve when dealing with mystical materials, which exhibit identical indentation curves even if possessing different yield and strain-hardening properties. For this reason, an additional measurement is used in the present study as input for the inverse analysis which consists of the maximum pile-up height measured after the indentation test. This approach lends itself for practical applications as the load-penetration curve can be easily obtained from commonly available micro-indenters while the pile-up present at the end of the test can be measured by different instruments depending on the size of the indented area, for example by means of an atomic force microscope or a laser profilometer. The inverse analysis procedure consists of a batch deterministic approach, and conventional optimization algorithms are employed for the minimization of the discrepancy norm. The first part of the paper outlines how the inclusion of both the maximum height of the pile-up and the indentation curve in the input data of the inverse analysis leads to a well-defined inverse problem using parameters of mystical materials. The approach is then applied to real experimental data obtained from three sets of 2024 Al alloy samples prepared using different age-hardening treatments. The accuracy of the identification process is validated

Identification of the material properties of Al 2024 alloy by means of inverse analysis and indentation tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moy, Charles K.S.; Bocciarelli, Massimiliano; Ringer, Simon P.; Ranzi, Gianluca

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Identification of mechanical properties by indentation test and inverse analysis. → Pile-up height is also considered as experimental information. → Inverse problem results to be well posed also in the case of mystical materials. → 2024 Al alloy samples prepared using different age-hardening treatments are studied. - Abstract: This paper outlines an inverse analysis approach aimed at the identification of the mechanical properties of metallic materials based on the experimental results obtained from indentation tests. Previous work has shown the ill-posed nature of the inverse problem based on the load-penetration curve when dealing with mystical materials, which exhibit identical indentation curves even if possessing different yield and strain-hardening properties. For this reason, an additional measurement is used in the present study as input for the inverse analysis which consists of the maximum pile-up height measured after the indentation test. This approach lends itself for practical applications as the load-penetration curve can be easily obtained from commonly available micro-indenters while the pile-up present at the end of the test can be measured by different instruments depending on the size of the indented area, for example by means of an atomic force microscope or a laser profilometer. The inverse analysis procedure consists of a batch deterministic approach, and conventional optimization algorithms are employed for the minimization of the discrepancy norm. The first part of the paper outlines how the inclusion of both the maximum height of the pile-up and the indentation curve in the input data of the inverse analysis leads to a well-defined inverse problem using parameters of mystical materials. The approach is then applied to real experimental data obtained from three sets of 2024 Al alloy samples prepared using different age-hardening treatments. The accuracy of the identification process is validated against the mechanical

Testing the Construct Validity of Proposed Criteria for "DSM-5" Autism Spectrum Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Mandy, William P. L.; Charman, Tony; Skuse, David H.

2012-01-01

Objective: To use confirmatory factor analysis to test the construct validity of the proposed "DSM-5" symptom model of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in comparison to alternative models, including that described in "DSM-IV-TR." Method: Participants were 708 verbal children and young persons (mean age, 9.5 years) with mild to severe autistic…

Cross-Disorder Genome-Wide Analyses Suggest a Complex Genetic Relationship Between Tourette's Syndrome and OCD

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yu, Dongmei; Mathews, Carol A.; Scharf, Jeremiah M.; Neale, Benjamin M.; Davis, Lea K.; Gamazon, Eric R.; Derks, Eske M.; Evans, Patrick; Edlund, Christopher K.; Crane, Jacquelyn; Osiecki, Lisa; Gallagher, Patience; Gerber, Gloria; Haddad, Stephen; Illmann, Cornelia; McGrath, Lauren M.; Mayerfeld, Catherine; Arepalli, Sampath; Barlassina, Cristina; Barr, Cathy L.; Bellodi, Laura; Benarroch, Fortu; Berrio, Gabriel Bedoya; Bienvenu, O. Joseph; Black, Donald W.; Bloch, Michael H.; Brentani, Helena; Bruun, Ruth D.; Budman, Cathy L.; Camarena, Beatriz; Campbell, Desmond D.; Cappi, Carolina; Silgado, Julio C. Cardona; Cavallini, Maria C.; Chavira, Denise A.; Chouinard, Sylvain; Cook, Edwin H.; Cookson, M. R.; Coric, Vladimir; Cullen, Bernadette; Cusi, Daniete; Delorme, Richard; Denys, Damiaan; Dion, Yves; Eapen, Valsama; Egberts, Karin; Falkai, Peter; Fernandez, Thomas; Fournier, Eduardo; Garrido, Helena; Geller, Daniel; Gilbert, Donald L.; Girard, Simon L.; Grabe, Hans J.; Grados, Marco A.; Greenberg, Benjamin D.; Gross-Tsur, Varda; Gruenblatt, Edna; Hardy, John; Heiman, Gary A.; Hemmings, Sian M. J.; Herrera, Luis D.; Hezel, Dianne M.; Hoekstra, Pieter J.; Jankovic, Joseph; Kennedy, James L.; King, Robert A.; Konkashbaev, Anuar I.; Kremeyer, Barbara; Kurlan, Roger; Lanzagorta, Nuria; Leboyer, Marion; Leckman, James F.; Lennertz, Leonhard; Liu, Chunyu; Lochner, Christine; Lowe, Thomas L.; Lupoli, Sara; Macciardi, Fabio; Maier, Wolfgang; Manunta, Paolo; Marconi, Maurizio; McCracken, James T.; Restrepo, Sandra C. Mesa; Moessner, Rainald; Moorjani, Priya; Morgan, Jubel; Muller, Heike; Murphy, Dennis L.; Naarden, Allan L.; Nurmi, Erika; Ochoa, William Cornejo; Ophoff, Roel A.; Pakstis, Andrew J.; Pato, Michele T.; Pato, Carlo N.; Piacentini, John; Pittenger, Christopher; Pollak, Yehuda; Rauch, Scott L.; Renner, Tobias; Reus, Victor I.; Richter, Margaret A.; Riddle, Mark A.; Robertson, Mary M.; Romero, Roxana; Rosario, Maria C.; Rosenberg, David; Ruhrmann, Stephan; Sabatti, Chiara; Salvi, Erika; Sampaio, Aline S.; Samuels, Jack; Sandor, Paul; Service, Susan K.; Sheppard, Brooke; Singer, Harvey S.; Smit, Jan H.; Stein, Dan J.; Strengman, Eric; Tischfield, Jay A.; Turiel, Maurizio; Duarte, Ana V. Valencia; Vallada, Homero; Veenstra-VanderWeele, Jeremy; Walitza, Susanne; Wang, Ying; Weale, Mike; Weiss, Robert; Wendland, Jens R.; Westenberg, Herman G. M.; Shugart, Yin Yao; Hounie, Ana G.; Miguel, Euripedes C.; Nicolini, Humberto; Wagner, Michael; Ruiz-Linares, Andres; Cath, Danielle C.; McMahon, William; Posthuma, Danielle; Oostra, Ben A.; Nestadt, Gerald; Routeau, Guy A.; Purcell, Shaun; Jenike, Michael A.; Heutink, Peter; Hanna, Gregory L.; Conti, David V.; Arnold, Paul D.; Freimer, Nelson B.; Stewart, Evelyn; Knowles, James A.; Cox, Nancy J.; Pauls, David L.

Objective: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette's syndrome are highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorders that are thought to share genetic risk factors. However, the identification of definitive susceptibility genes for these etiologically complex disorders remains elusive. The

Cross-Disorder Genome-Wide Analyses Suggest a Complex Genetic Relationship Between Tourette's Syndrome and OCD

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yu, Dongmei; Mathews, Carol A; Scharf, Jeremiah M; Neale, Benjamin M; Davis, Lea K; Gamazon, Eric R; Derks, Eske M; Evans, Patrick; Edlund, Christopher K; Crane, Jacquelyn; Fagerness, Jesen A; Osiecki, Lisa; Gallagher, Patience; Gerber, Gloria; Haddad, Stephen; Illmann, Cornelia; McGrath, Lauren M; Mayerfeld, Catherine; Arepalli, Sampath; Barlassina, Cristina; Barr, Cathy L; Bellodi, Laura; Benarroch, Fortu; Berrió, Gabriel Bedoya; Bienvenu, O Joseph; Black, Donald W; Bloch, Michael H; Brentani, Helena; Bruun, Ruth D; Budman, Cathy L; Camarena, Beatriz; Campbell, Desmond D; Cappi, Carolina; Silgado, Julio C Cardona; Cavallini, Maria C; Chavira, Denise A; Chouinard, Sylvain; Cook, Edwin H; Cookson, M R; Coric, Vladimir; Cullen, Bernadette; Cusi, Daniele; Delorme, Richard; Denys, Damiaan; Dion, Yves; Eapen, Valsama; Egberts, Karin; Falkai, Peter; Fernandez, Thomas; Fournier, Eduardo; Garrido, Helena; Geller, Daniel; Gilbert, Donald L; Girard, Simon L; Grabe, Hans J; Grados, Marco A; Greenberg, Benjamin D; Gross-Tsur, Varda; Grünblatt, Edna; Hardy, John; Heiman, Gary A; Hemmings, Sian M J; Herrera, Luis D; Hezel, Dianne M; Hoekstra, Pieter J; Jankovic, Joseph; Kennedy, James L; King, Robert A; Konkashbaev, Anuar I; Kremeyer, Barbara; Kurlan, Roger; Lanzagorta, Nuria; Leboyer, Marion; Leckman, James F; Lennertz, Leonhard; Liu, Chunyu; Lochner, Christine; Lowe, Thomas L; Lupoli, Sara; Macciardi, Fabio; Maier, Wolfgang; Manunta, Paolo; Marconi, Maurizio; McCracken, James T; Mesa Restrepo, Sandra C; Moessner, Rainald; Moorjani, Priya; Morgan, Jubel; Muller, Heike; Murphy, Dennis L; Naarden, Allan L; Nurmi, Erika; Ochoa, William Cornejo; Ophoff, Roel A; Pakstis, Andrew J; Pato, Michele T; Pato, Carlos N; Piacentini, John; Pittenger, Christopher; Pollak, Yehuda; Rauch, Scott L; Renner, Tobias; Reus, Victor I; Richter, Margaret A; Riddle, Mark A; Robertson, Mary M; Romero, Roxana; Rosário, Maria C; Rosenberg, David; Ruhrmann, Stephan; Sabatti, Chiara; Salvi, Erika; Sampaio, Aline S; Samuels, Jack; Sandor, Paul; Service, Susan K; Sheppard, Brooke; Singer, Harvey S; Smit, Jan H|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/113700644; Stein, Dan J; Strengman, Eric; Tischfield, Jay A; Turiel, Maurizio; Valencia Duarte, Ana V; Vallada, Homero; Veenstra-VanderWeele, Jeremy; Walitza, Susanne; Wang, Ying; Weale, Mike; Weiss, Robert; Wendland, Jens R; Westenberg, Herman G M; Shugart, Yin Yao; Hounie, Ana G; Miguel, Euripedes C; Nicolini, Humberto; Wagner, Michael; Ruiz-Linares, Andres; Cath, Danielle C|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/194111423; McMahon, William; Posthuma, Danielle; Oostra, Ben A; Nestadt, Gerald; Rouleau, Guy A; Purcell, Shaun; Jenike, Michael A; Heutink, Peter; Hanna, Gregory L; Conti, David V; Arnold, Paul D; Freimer, Nelson B; Stewart, S Evelyn; Knowles, James A; Cox, Nancy J; Pauls, David L

OBJECTIVE: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette's syndrome are highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorders that are thought to share genetic risk factors. However, the identification of definitive susceptibility genes for these etiologically complex disorders remains elusive. The

Cross-disorder genome-wide analyses suggest a complex genetic relationship between Tourette's syndrome and OCD

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yu, Dongmei; Cusi, Daniele; Delorme, Richard; Denys, D.; Dion, Yves; Eapen, Valsama; Heutink, Peter; Cox, Nancy J; Pauls, David L

OBJECTIVE: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette's syndrome are highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorders that are thought to share genetic risk factors. However, the identification of definitive susceptibility genes for these etiologically complex disorders remains elusive. The

Test of Alternative Hypotheses Explaining the Comorbidity between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Conduct Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Rhee, Soo Hyun; Willcutt, Erik G.; Hartman, Christie A.; Pennington, Bruce F.; DeFries, John C.

2008-01-01

There is significant comorbidity between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct disorder (CD). The conclusions of studies that examined the causes of comorbidity between ADHD and CD conflict, with some researchers finding support for the three independent disorders model and others finding support for the correlated risk…

Comprehensive genetic testing for primary immunodeficiency disorders in a tertiary hospital: 10-year experience in Auckland, New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Woon, See-Tarn; Ameratunga, Rohan

2016-01-01

New Zealand is a developed geographically isolated country in the South Pacific with a population of 4.4 million. Genetic diagnosis is the standard of care for most patients with primary immunodeficiency disorders (PIDs). Since 2005, we have offered a comprehensive genetic testing service for PIDs and other immune-related disorders with a published sequence. Here we present results for this program, over the first decade, between 2005 and 2014. We undertook testing in 228 index cases and 32 carriers during this time. The three most common test requests were for X-linked lymphoproliferative (XLP), tumour necrosis factor receptor associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS) and haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Of the 32 suspected XLP cases, positive diagnoses were established in only 2 patients. In contrast, genetic defects in 8 of 11 patients with suspected X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) were confirmed. Most XLA patients were initially identified from absence of B cells. Overall, positive diagnoses were made in about 23% of all tests requested. The diagnostic rate was lowest for several conditions with locus heterogeneity. Thorough clinical characterisation of patients can assist in prioritising which genes should be tested. The clinician-driven customised comprehensive genetic service has worked effectively for New Zealand. Next generation sequencing will play an increasing role in disorders with locus heterogeneity.

Visual Processing in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Evidence from Embedded Figures and Configural Superiority Tests

Science.gov (United States)

Dillen, Claudia; Steyaert, Jean; Op de Beeck, Hans P.; Boets, Bart

2015-01-01

The embedded figures test has often been used to reveal weak central coherence in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here, we administered a more standardized automated version of the embedded figures test in combination with the configural superiority task, to investigate the effect of contextual modulation on local feature…

In vitro biological test of resistance to oxidation: application to identification of irradiated food

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blache, D.; Prost, M.; Raffi, J.

1991-01-01

The test presented here for the identification of ionized food is a direct application of a biological test of resistance to oxidation, put on for an evaluation of antioxidant properties of pharmaceutic molecules and for the study of free radicals in biology. Consequently, the main part of this datum is relative to this biological test. We only point out, when necessary, how we plan to use it for food items. Our aim in this paper is to present a simple biological test (SPIRAL Patent Pending) to measure the total anti oxidative defence status of individuals utilizing some easy to handle cells: circulating cells. In this presentation, we only limited to red blood cells, but any cell could be used after suitable adaptation of the procedure. The first experiments carried out on irradiated foods are promising, even for foodstuffs in liquid state, but we have surely to do a lot of new ones in order to improve the specificity of this test with regard to irradiation and to define with which food it can be used. (9 refs; 15 figs)

A Test-Retest Reliability Study of the Whiplash Disability Questionnaire in Patients With Acute Whiplash-Associated Disorders

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stupar, Maja; Côté, Pierre; Beaton, Dorcas E

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability and the Minimal Detectable Change (MDC) of the Whiplash Disability Questionnaire (WDQ) in individuals with acute whiplash-associated disorders (WADs). METHODS: We performed a test-retest reliability study. We includ...

Test-retest reliability of Common Mental Disorders Questionnaire (CMDQ) in patients with total hip replacement (THR)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bilberg, Randi; Nørgaard, Birgitte; Roessler, Kirsten Kaya

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: The Common Mental Disorders Questionnaire (CMDQ) is used to assess patients' mental health. It has previously been shown to provide a sensitive and specific instrument for general practitioner setting but has so far not been tested in hospital setting or for changes over time (test....... TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials: NCT01205295....

Cross-disorder genome-wide analyses suggest a complex genetic relationship between Tourette's syndrome and OCD

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yu, Dongmei; Mathews, Carol A.; Scharf, Jeremiah M.; Neale, Benjamin M.; Davis, Lea K.; Gamazon, Eric R.; Derks, Eske M.; Evans, Patrick; Edlund, Christopher K.; Crane, Jacquelyn; Fagerness, Jesen A.; Osiecki, Lisa; Gallagher, Patience; Gerber, Gloria; Haddad, Stephen; Illmann, Cornelia; McGrath, Lauren M.; Mayerfeld, Catherine; Arepalli, Sampath; Barlassina, Cristina; Barr, Cathy L.; Bellodi, Laura; Benarroch, Fortu; Berrió, Gabriel Bedoya; Bienvenu, O. Joseph; Black, Donald W.; Bloch, Michael H.; Brentani, Helena; Bruun, Ruth D.; Budman, Cathy L.; Camarena, Beatriz; Campbell, Desmond D.; Cappi, Carolina; Silgado, Julio C. Cardona; Cavallini, Maria C.; Chavira, Denise A.; Chouinard, Sylvain; Cook, Edwin H.; Cookson, M. R.; Coric, Vladimir; Cullen, Bernadette; Cusi, Daniele; Delorme, Richard; Denys, Damiaan; Dion, Yves; Eapen, Valsama; Egberts, Karin; Falkai, Peter; Fernandez, Thomas; Fournier, Eduardo; Garrido, Helena; Geller, Daniel; Gilbert, Donald L.; Girard, Simon L.; Grabe, Hans J.; Grados, Marco A.; Greenberg, Benjamin D.; Gross-Tsur, Varda; Grünblatt, Edna; Hardy, John; Heiman, Gary A.; Hemmings, Sian M. J.; Herrera, Luis D.; Hezel, Dianne M.; Hoekstra, Pieter J.; Jankovic, Joseph; Kennedy, James L.; King, Robert A.; Konkashbaev, Anuar I.; Kremeyer, Barbara; Kurlan, Roger; Lanzagorta, Nuria; Leboyer, Marion; Leckman, James F.; Lennertz, Leonhard; Liu, Chunyu; Lochner, Christine; Lowe, Thomas L.; Lupoli, Sara; Macciardi, Fabio; Maier, Wolfgang; Manunta, Paolo; Marconi, Maurizio; McCracken, James T.; Mesa Restrepo, Sandra C.; Moessner, Rainald; Moorjani, Priya; Morgan, Jubel; Muller, Heike; Murphy, Dennis L.; Naarden, Allan L.; Nurmi, Erika; Ochoa, William Cornejo; Ophoff, Roel A.; Pakstis, Andrew J.; Pato, Michele T.; Pato, Carlos N.; Piacentini, John; Pittenger, Christopher; Pollak, Yehuda; Rauch, Scott L.; Renner, Tobias; Reus, Victor I.; Richter, Margaret A.; Riddle, Mark A.; Robertson, Mary M.; Romero, Roxana; Rosário, Maria C.; Rosenberg, David; Ruhrmann, Stephan; Sabatti, Chiara; Salvi, Erika; Sampaio, Aline S.; Samuels, Jack; Sandor, Paul; Service, Susan K.; Sheppard, Brooke; Singer, Harvey S.; Smit, Jan H.; Stein, Dan J.; Strengman, Eric; Tischfield, Jay A.; Turiel, Maurizio; Valencia Duarte, Ana V.; Vallada, Homero; Veenstra-Vanderweele, Jeremy; Walitza, Susanne; Wang, Ying; Weale, Mike; Weiss, Robert; Wendland, Jens R.; Westenberg, Herman G. M.; Shugart, Yin Yao; Hounie, Ana G.; Miguel, Euripedes C.; Nicolini, Humberto; Wagner, Michael; Ruiz-Linares, Andres; Cath, Danielle C.; McMahon, William; Posthuma, Danielle; Oostra, Ben A.; Nestadt, Gerald; Rouleau, Guy A.; Purcell, Shaun; Jenike, Michael A.; Heutink, Peter; Hanna, Gregory L.; Conti, David V.; Arnold, Paul D.; Freimer, Nelson B.; Stewart, S. Evelyn; Knowles, James A.; Cox, Nancy J.; Pauls, David L.

2015-01-01

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette's syndrome are highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorders that are thought to share genetic risk factors. However, the identification of definitive susceptibility genes for these etiologically complex disorders remains elusive. The authors report a

Good laboratory practices for biochemical genetic testing and newborn screening for inherited metabolic disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-06

Biochemical genetic testing and newborn screening are essential laboratory services for the screening, detection, diagnosis, and monitoring of inborn errors of metabolism or inherited metabolic disorders. Under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) regulations, laboratory testing is categorized on the basis of the level of testing complexity as either waived (i.e., from routine regulatory oversight) or nonwaived testing (which includes tests of moderate and high complexity). Laboratories that perform biochemical genetic testing are required by CLIA regulations to meet the general quality systems requirements for nonwaived testing and the personnel requirements for high-complexity testing. Laboratories that perform public health newborn screening are subject to the same CLIA regulations and applicable state requirements. As the number of inherited metabolic diseases that are included in state-based newborn screening programs continues to increase, ensuring the quality of performance and delivery of testing services remains a continuous challenge not only for public health laboratories and other newborn screening facilities but also for biochemical genetic testing laboratories. To help ensure the quality of laboratory testing, CDC collaborated with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the National Institutes of Health to develop guidelines for laboratories to meet CLIA requirements and apply additional quality assurance measures for these areas of genetic testing. This report provides recommendations for good laboratory practices that were developed based on recommendations from the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee, with additional input from the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society; the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children; and representatives of newborn

Biochemical markers and neuropsychological functioning in distal urea cycle disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Waisbren, Susan E; Cuthbertson, David; Burgard, Peter; Holbert, Amy; McCarter, Robert; Cederbaum, Stephen

2018-02-08

Urea cycle disorders often present as devastating metabolic conditions, resulting in high mortality and significant neuropsychological damage, despite treatment. The Urea Cycle Disorders Longitudinal Study is a natural history study that collects data from regular clinical follow-up and neuropsychological testing. This report examines links between biochemical markers (ammonia, glutamine, arginine, citrulline) and primary neuropsychological endpoints in three distal disorders, argininosuccinic acid synthetase deficiency (ASD or citrullinemia type I), argininosuccinic acid lyase deficiency (ASA or ALD), and arginase deficiency (ARGD). Laboratory results and test scores from neuropsychological evaluations were assessed in 145 study participants, ages 3 years and older, with ASD (n = 64), ASA (n = 65) and ARGD (n = 16). Mean full scale IQ was below the population mean of 100 ± 15 for all groups: (ASD = 79 ± 24; ASA = 71 ± 21; ARGD = 65 ± 19). The greatest deficits were noted in visual performance and motor skills for all groups. While ammonia levels remain prominent as prognostic biomarkers, other biomarkers may be equally valuable as correlates of neuropsychological functioning. Cumulative exposure to the biomarkers included in the study proved to be highly sensitive indicators of neuropsychological outcomes, even when below the cut-off levels generally considered toxic. Blood levels of biomarkers obtained on the day of neuropsychological evaluations were not correlated with measures of functioning for any disorder in any domain. The importance of cumulative exposure supports early identification and confirms the need for well-controlled management of all biochemical abnormalities (and not just ammonia) that occur in urea cycle disorders.

Physical recreational activity and musculoskeletal disorders in nurses

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Władysław Mynarski

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Background: The role of physical activity (PA in the prevention and treatment of civilization diseases has been recognized by the medical society. Despite extensive knowledge and well-documented evidence of health aspects of PA, the identification and assessment of the PA level in various social and professional groups are still needed. The main goal of this research was to work out a preliminary assessment of possible relationship between recreational physical activity and reduced common musculoskeletal disorders in nurses. Material and Methods: The study included 93 nurses, aged 41.4±7.31, with body height of 164.4±7.04 and body weight of 64.5±10.8. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ was applied to assess pain and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ (long version to assess the level of physical activity. The intergroup differences, due to the occurrence of pain and physical activity levels, were determined using the Mann Whitney test and the Kruskal Wallis test. To evaluate the significance of individual factors potentially influencing the onset of musculoskeletal pains, the Chi2 test for independence was performed. Results: Over 70% of the examined nurses reported musculoskeletal complaints, mostly related with lower back pain. Taking up recreational activity, of at least moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA, reduces the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Conclusion: It is most likely that recreational physical activity at appropriate parameters may prevent musculoskeletal disorders, especially in nurses with long work experience. However, this hypothesis needs to be verified by experimental studies with use of objective tools for the assessment of physical activity. Med Pr 2014;65(2:181–188

Testing the algorithms for automatic identification of errors on the measured quantities of the nuclear power plant. Verification tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Svatek, J.

1999-12-01

During the development and implementation of supporting software for the control room and emergency control centre at the Dukovany nuclear power plant it appeared necessary to validate the input quantities in order to assure operating reliability of the software tools. Therefore, the development of software for validation of the measured quantities of the plant data sources was initiated, and the software had to be debugged and verified. The report contains the proposal for and description of the verification tests for testing the algorithms of automatic identification of errors on the observed quantities of the NPP by means of homemade validation software. In particular, the algorithms treated serve the validation of the hot leg temperature at primary circuit loop no. 2 or 4 at the Dukovany-2 reactor unit using data from the URAN and VK3 information systems, recorded during 3 different days. (author)

Dental plaque identification at home

Science.gov (United States)

... this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003426.htm Dental plaque identification at home To use the sharing ... a sticky substance that collects around and between teeth. The home dental plaque identification test shows where ...

Boys with autism spectrum disorders show superior performance on the adult Embedded Figures Test

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schlooz, W.A.J.M.; Hulstijn, W.

2014-01-01

Weak central coherence is frequently studied using the Embedded Figures Test (EFT) yielding mixed and ambiguous results. In this study, the performance of 36 boys (9–14 years) with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is compared with that of 46 typical peers using both the children's and the adult

Identifying Aboriginal-specific AUDIT-C and AUDIT-3 cutoff scores for at-risk, high-risk, and likely dependent drinkers using measures of agreement with the 10-item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test.

Science.gov (United States)

Calabria, Bianca; Clifford, Anton; Shakeshaft, Anthony P; Conigrave, Katherine M; Simpson, Lynette; Bliss, Donna; Allan, Julaine

2014-09-01

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is a 10-item alcohol screener that has been recommended for use in Aboriginal primary health care settings. The time it takes respondents to complete AUDIT, however, has proven to be a barrier to its routine delivery. Two shorter versions, AUDIT-C and AUDIT-3, have been used as screening instruments in primary health care. This paper aims to identify the AUDIT-C and AUDIT-3 cutoff scores that most closely identify individuals classified as being at-risk drinkers, high-risk drinkers, or likely alcohol dependent by the 10-item AUDIT. Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted from June 2009 to May 2010 and from July 2010 to June 2011. Aboriginal Australian participants (N = 156) were recruited through an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service, and a community-based drug and alcohol treatment agency in rural New South Wales (NSW), and through community-based Aboriginal groups in Sydney NSW. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of each score on the AUDIT-C and AUDIT-3 were calculated, relative to cutoff scores on the 10-item AUDIT for at-risk, high-risk, and likely dependent drinkers. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were conducted to measure the detection characteristics of AUDIT-C and AUDIT-3 for the three categories of risk. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves were high for drinkers classified as being at-risk, high-risk, and likely dependent. Recommended cutoff scores for Aboriginal Australians are as follows: at-risk drinkers AUDIT-C ≥ 5, AUDIT-3 ≥ 1; high-risk drinkers AUDIT-C ≥ 6, AUDIT-3 ≥ 2; and likely dependent drinkers AUDIT-C ≥ 9, AUDIT-3 ≥ 3. Adequate sensitivity and specificity were achieved for recommended cutoff scores. AUROC curves were above 0.90.

Neurological disorders in children with autism

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N. N. Zavadenko

2015-01-01

Full Text Available During a clinical examination of children with autistic spectrum disorders, attention should be drawn to both their major clinical manifestations and neurological comorbidities. The paper considers the mechanisms of autism-induced neurological disorders, the spectrum of which may include manifestations, such as retarded and disharmonic early psychomotor development; the specific features of sensory perception/processing; rigidity and monotony of motor and psychic reactions; motor disinhibition and hyperexcitability; motor stereotypies; uncoordinated movements; developmental coordination disorders (dyspraxia; impaired expressive motor skills; speech and articulation disorders; tics; epilepsy. It describes the specific features of neurological symptoms in Asperger’s syndrome, particularly in semantic-pragmatic language disorders, higher incidence rates of hyperlexia, motor and vocal tics. The incidence rate of epilepsy in autistic spectrum disorders is emphasized to be greater than the average population one. At the same time, the risk of epilepsy is higher in mentally retarded patients with autism. Identification of neurological disorders is of great importance in determining the tactics of complex care for patients with autistic spectrum disorders. 

[Improvement in the species identification of Lactobacillus by using microculture test systems and data on its genome structure].

Science.gov (United States)

Likhacheva, A Iu; Sokolova, K Ia; Levanova, G F

1995-01-01

18 microanalytical media, used for the construction of a biochemical plate test system permitting the specific identification of bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus, were developed on the basis of data on the metabolic activity of these bacteria and their need of growth factors. As the results of studies made on 78 Lactobacillus strains with the use of traditional microbiological and gene-systematizing methods, the proposed test system was shown to be reliable and specific.

Identification of neuromotor deficits common to autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and imitation deficits specific to autism spectrum disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Biscaldi, Monica; Rauh, Reinhold; Müller, Cora; Irion, Lisa; Saville, Christopher W N; Schulz, Eberhard; Klein, Christoph

2015-12-01

Deficits in motor and imitation abilities are a core finding in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but impaired motor functions are also found in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Given recent theorising about potential aetiological overlap between the two disorders, the present study aimed to assess difficulties in motor performance and imitation of facial movements and meaningless gestures in a sample of 24 ADHD patients, 22 patients with ASD, and 20 typically developing children, matched for age (6-13 years) and similar in IQ (>80). Furthermore, we explored the impact of comorbid ADHD symptoms on motor and imitation performance in the ASD sample and the interrelationships between the two groups of variables in the clinical groups separately. The results show motor dysfunction was common to both disorders, but imitation deficits were specific to ASD. Together with the pattern of interrelated motor and imitation abilities, which we found exclusively in the ASD group, our findings suggest complex phenotypic, and possibly aetiological, relationships between the two neurodevelopmental conditions.

Standardised test protocol (Constant Score) for evaluation of functionality in patients with shoulder disorders

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ban, Ilija; Troelsen, Anders; Christiansen, David Høyrup

2013-01-01

INTRODUCTION: The Constant Score (CS), developed as a scoring system to evaluate overall functionality of patients with shoulder disorders, is widely used but has been criticised for relying on an imprecise terminology and for lack of a standardised methodology. A modified guideline was therefore...... differences. One of the authors of the modified CS approved both the English and the Danish test protocol. CONCLUSION: A simple test protocol of the modified CS was developed in both English and Danish. With precise terminology and definitions, the test protocol is the first of its kind. We suggest its use...

Video Modeling and Word Identification in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Morlock, Larissa; Reynolds, Jennifer L.; Fisher, Sycarah; Comer, Ronald J.

2015-01-01

Video modeling involves the learner viewing videos of a model demonstrating a target skill. According to the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders (2011), video modeling is an evidenced-based intervention for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in elementary through middle school. Little research exists…

7 CFR 91.102 - Form of official identification symbols.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Form of official identification symbols. 91.102... LABORATORY TESTING PROGRAMS SERVICES AND GENERAL INFORMATION Designation of Approved Symbols for Identification of Commodities Officially Tested By AMS § 91.102 Form of official identification symbols. Two...

Low Power, Room Temperature Systems for the Detection and Identification of Radionuclides from Atmospheric Nuclear Test

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-01

DTRA-TR-13-48 Low Power, Room Temperature Systems for the Detection and Identification of Radionuclides from Atmospheric Nuclear Test Approved for...01-C-0071 Radionuclides from Atmospheric Nuclear Tests 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER Muren Chu...I IIlIl4eI ilf "tt""f;lk~ l).t::l’e.do)- mllin:: in an n-t~’J𔃻f mlllril.: II!’ ,-kll ~".r’I::!, ..... ·hkh j,-, .:auI,,·d br thP . la-ek f.r ·;IIff

Clinical and hormonal aspects of reproductive disorders in women from Semipalatinsk test site region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mamedalieva, N.M.; Moshcheeva, A.M.; Nauryzbaeva, B.U.

1997-01-01

90 women (62 during pregnancy and 28 out of pregnancy) from different districts of Semipalatinsk region were examined with aims of clinic-hormonal aspects study for reproductive disorders of pregnant from Semipalatinsk test site (STS) region. Age of examined women was within limits 18-40 years old. Patients have from 1 to 4 miscarriage abortions. Particular burdening of somatic, gynaecological and reproductive health of examined women is emphasized. Taking into consideration that among causes of reproductive disorders one of top places takes endocrine disorders the hormone background by content in blood of estradiol, progesterone and thyroid hormones was studied. It was determined, that hormonal disbalance or endocrine deficiency of women from STS during pregnancy and out the time does not guarantee normal course of hesitation process on the very early stages of development. When pregnancy was preserved the hormonal disbalance conducts to disfunction of fete-placental system. High frequency of both the obstetric and the perinatal pathology are caused by mentioned disfunctions

Bipolar disorder in the postpartum period: management strategies and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Pope, Carley J; Sharma, Verinder; Mazmanian, Dwight

2014-07-01

Bipolar I and II disorder are chronic and severe psychiatric illnesses that affect many women. Furthermore, women are at increased risk for mood episodes during the postpartum period compared with non-postpartum periods. Unfortunately, identification of clinically significant depressive or (hypo)manic episodes can be challenging. Delays in detection, as well as misdiagnosis, put women at risk of many negative consequences, such as symptom exacerbation and treatment refractoriness. Early and accurate detection of bipolar I or II disorder in the postpartum period is critical to improve prognosis. At this time, limited recommendations can be made due to a paucity of research. Further research on postpartum bipolar I or II disorder focusing on its identification, consequences and treatment is urgently needed to allow for empirically informed clinical decision-making.

5-HT 1A polymorphism and self-transcendence in mood disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Lorenzi, Cristina; Serretti, Alessandro; Mandelli, Laura; Tubazio, Viviana; Ploia, Cristina; Smeraldi, Enrico

2005-08-05

Recently, an association between serotonin 1A receptor binding potential and self-transcendence scores at the temperament and character inventory (TCI) has been reported. We tested involvement of 5-HT(1A) gene in this trait, in a sample of 40 remitted mood disorder patients. Subjects with the 5-HT(1A)*C/C genotype showed significantly lower scores at the total self-transcendence and at the sub-scales of transpersonal identification and spiritual acceptance. Our preliminary results further support the involvement of the serotoninergic pattern in the self-transcendence character trait. (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Identification of ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Responsibilities of School Psychologists

Science.gov (United States)

Schutte, Kerry; Piselli, Kate; Schmitt, Ara J.; Miglioretti, Maura; Lorenzi-Quigley, Lauren; Tiberi, Amy; Krohner, Noah

2017-01-01

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and ASD are two common neurobiological disorders in school-age children. In fact, approximately 6.4 million children between the ages of 4 and 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD since 2011 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). More recent prevalence estimates suggest that five percent of all…

Expected packing density allows prediction of both amyloidogenic and disordered regions in protein chains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Galzitskaya, Oxana V; Garbuzynskiy, Sergiy O; Lobanov, Michail Yu [Institute of Protein Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290, Pushchino, Moscow Region (Russian Federation)

2007-07-18

The determination of factors that influence conformational changes in proteins is very important for the identification of potentially amyloidogenic and disordered regions in polypeptide chains. In our work we introduce a new parameter, mean packing density, to detect both amyloidogenic and disordered regions in a protein sequence. It has been shown that regions with strong expected packing density are responsible for amyloid formation. Our predictions are consistent with known disease-related amyloidogenic regions for 9 of 12 amyloid-forming proteins and peptides in which the positions of amyloidogenic regions have been revealed experimentally. Our findings support the concept that the mechanism of formation of amyloid fibrils is similar for different peptides and proteins. Moreover, we have demonstrated that regions with weak expected packing density are responsible for the appearance of disordered regions. Our method has been tested on datasets of globular proteins and long disordered protein segments, and it shows improved performance over other widely used methods. Thus, we demonstrate that the expected packing density is a useful value for predicting both disordered and amyloidogenic regions of a protein based on sequence alone. Our results are important for understanding the structural characteristics of protein folding and misfolding.

Body-focused repetitive behavior disorders in ICD-11

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jon E. Grant

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This article addresses the question of how body-focused repetitive behavior disorders (e.g., trichotillomania and skin-picking disorder should be characterized in ICD-11. The article reviews the historical nosology of the two disorders and the current approaches in DSM-5 and ICD-10. Although data are limited and mixed regarding the optimal relationship between body-focused repetitive behavior disorders and nosological categories, these conditions should be included within the obsessive-compulsive and related disorders category, as this is how most clinicians see these behaviors, and as this may optimize clinical utility. The descriptions of these disorders should largely mirror those in DSM-5, given the evidence from recent field surveys. The recommendations regarding ICD-11 and body-focused repetitive behavior disorders should promote the global identification and treatment of these conditions in primary care settings.

Validity of the Eating Attitudes Test: a study of Mexican eating disorders patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarez-Rayón, G; Mancilla-Díaz, J M; Vázquez-Arévalo, R; Unikel-Santoncini, C; Caballero-Romo, A; Mercado-Corona, D

2004-12-01

To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Mexican version of the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-40) in clinical and control populations in Mexico City. 276 female patients with eating disorders [52 with anorexia nervosa (AN), 102 with bulimia nervosa (BN) and 122 with eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS)] and a comparison group of 280 normal control female subjects completed the EAT. The EAT had an adequate level of internal consistency in the clinical sample (Cronbach's alpha=0.90). Total score was significantly correlated with criterion group membership (r=0.77, pBulimia, 3) Drive of thinness, 4) Food preoccupation and 5) Perceived social pressure. This study provides evidence that the Mexican version of the EAT is an economical, reliable and potentially useful instrument for research in this field.

Embodying Emotional Disorders: New Hypotheses about Possible Emotional Consequences of Motor Disorders in Parkinson's Disease and Tourette's Syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Mermillod, Martial; Vermeulen, Nicolas; Droit-Volet, Sylvie; Jalenques, Isabelle; Durif, Franck; Niedenthal, Paula

2011-01-01

Parkinson's disease (PD) and Tourette's syndrome (TS) lead to important motor disorders among patients such as possible facial amimia in PD and tics in Tourette's syndrome. Under the grounded cognition framework that shows the importance of motor embodiment in emotional feeling (Niedenthal, 2007), both types of pathology with motor symptoms should be sufficient to induce potential impairments for these patients when recognizing emotional facial expressions (EFE). In this opinion paper, we describe a theoretical framework that assumes potential emotional disorders in Parkinson's disease and Tourette's syndrome based on motor disorders characterizing these two pathologies. We also review different methodological barriers in previous experimental designs that could enable the identification of emotional facial expressions despite emotional disorders in PD and TS.

Autism Spectrum Disorder: Primary Care Principles.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanchack, Kristian E; Thomas, Craig A

2016-12-15

Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by difficulty with social communication and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interest, or activities. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed., created an umbrella diagnosis that includes several previously separate conditions: autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. There is insufficient evidence to recommend screening for autism spectrum disorder in children 18 to 30 months of age in whom the disorder is not suspected; however, there is a growing body of evidence that early intensive behavioral intervention based on applied behavior analysis improves cognitive ability, language, and adaptive skills. Therefore, early identification of autism spectrum disorder is important, and experts recommend the use of a validated screening tool at 18- and 24-month well-child visits. Medications can be used as adjunctive treatment for maladaptive behaviors and comorbid psychiatric conditions, but there is no single medical therapy that is effective for all symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. Prognosis is heavily affected by the severity of diagnosis and the presence of intellectual disability. Children with optimal outcomes receive earlier, more intensive behavioral interventions and less pharmacologic treatment.

Incremental Validity of Test Session and Classroom Observations in a Multimethod Assessment of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

McConaughy, Stephanie H.; Harder, Valerie S.; Antshel, Kevin M.; Gordon, Michael; Eiraldi, Ricardo; Dumenci, Levent

2010-01-01

This study tested the incremental validity of behavioral observations, over and above parent and teacher reports, for assessing symptoms of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children ages 6 to 12, using the Test Observation Form (TOF) and Direct Observation Form (DOF) from the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment. The…

'No man is an island'. Testing the specific role of social isolation in formal thought disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

de Sousa, Paulo; Spray, Amy; Sellwood, William; Bentall, Richard P

2015-12-15

Recent work has focused on the role of the environment in psychosis with emerging evidence that specific psychotic experiences are associated with specific types of adversity. One risk factor that has been often associated with psychosis is social isolation, with studies identifying isolation as an important feature of prodromal psychosis and others reporting that social networks of psychotic patients are smaller and less dense than those of healthy individuals. In the present study, we tested a prediction that social isolation would be specifically associated with formal thought disorder. 80 patients diagnosed with psychosis-spectrum disorder and 30 healthy participants were assessed for formal thought disorder with speech samples acquired during an interview that promoted personal disclosure and an interview targeting everyday topics. Social isolation was significantly associated with formal thought disorder in the neutral interview and in the salient interview, even when controlling for comorbid hallucinations, delusions and suspiciousness. Hallucinations, delusions and suspiciousness were not associated with social isolation when formal thought disorder was controlled for. Formal thought disorder is robustly and specifically associated with social isolation. Social cognitive mechanisms and processes are discussed which may explain this relationship as well as implications for clinical practice and future research. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Left hemisphere dysfunction during verbal dichotic listening tests in patients who have social phobia with or without comorbid depressive disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruder, Gerard E; Schneier, Franklin R; Stewart, Jonathan W; McGrath, Patrick J; Quitkin, Frederic

2004-01-01

Behavioral, electrophysiological, and imaging studies have found evidence that anxiety disorders are associated with left hemisphere dysfunction or higher than normal activation of right hemisphere regions. Few studies, however, have examined hemispheric asymmetries of function in social phobia, and the influence of comorbidity with depressive disorders is unknown. The present study used dichotic listening tests to assess lateralized cognitive processing in patients with social phobia, depression, or comorbid social phobia and depression. The study used a two-by-two factorial design in which one factor was social phobia (present versus absent) and the second factor was depressive disorder (present versus absent). A total of 125 unmedicated patients with social phobia, depressive disorder, or comorbid social phobia and depressive disorder and 44 healthy comparison subjects were tested on dichotic fused-words, consonant-vowel syllable, and complex tone tests. Patients with social phobia with or without a comorbid depressive disorder had a smaller left hemisphere advantage for processing words and syllables, compared with subjects without social phobia, whereas no difference between groups was found in the right hemisphere advantage for processing complex tones. Depressed women had a larger left hemisphere advantage for processing words, compared with nondepressed women, but this difference was not seen among men. The results support the hypothesis that social phobia is associated with dysfunction of left hemisphere regions mediating verbal processing. Given the importance of verbal processes in social interactions, this dysfunction may contribute to the stress and difficulty experienced by patients with social phobia in social situations.

Association testing of copy number variants in schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Crespi Bernard J

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia have been associated with an overlapping set of copy number variant loci, but the nature and degree of overlap in copy number variants (deletions compared to duplications between these two disorders remains unclear. Methods We systematically evaluated three lines of evidence: (1 the statistical bases for associations of autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia with a set of the primary CNVs thus far investigated, from previous studies; (2 data from case series studies on the occurrence of these CNVs in autism spectrum disorders, especially among children, and (3 data on the extent to which the CNVs were associated with intellectual disability and developmental, speech, or language delays. We also conducted new analyses of existing data on these CNVs in autism by pooling data from seven case control studies. Results Four of the CNVs considered, dup 1q21.1, dup 15q11-q13, del 16p11.2, and dup 22q11.21, showed clear statistical evidence as autism risk factors, whereas eight CNVs, del 1q21.1, del 3q29, del 15q11.2, del 15q13.3, dup 16p11.2, dup 16p13.1, del 17p12, and del 22q11.21, were strongly statistically supported as risk factors for schizophrenia. Three of the CNVs, dup 1q21.1, dup 16p11.2, and dup 16p13.1, exhibited statistical support as risk factors for both autism and schizophrenia, although for each of these CNVs statistical significance was nominal for tests involving one of the two disorders. For the CNVs that were statistically associated with schizophrenia but were not statistically associated with autism, a notable number of children with the CNVs have been diagnosed with autism or ASD; children with these CNVs also demonstrate a high incidence of intellectual disability and developmental, speech, or language delays. Conclusions These findings suggest that although CNV loci notably overlap between autism and schizophrenia, the degree of strongly statistically

Identification of common allergens for united airway disease by skin prick test

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vikas Deep Mishra

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: Identification of common allergens by skin prick test in patients of united airway disease. Materials and Methods: Skin prick test was performed in 60 patients of United Airway Disease to identify the common allergens. A total of 62 allergens consisting of 36 types of pollen, 5 fungi, 4 insects, 8 type of dusts, 4 dander, 3 fabrics, Dust mite and Parthenium leaves were tested. Result: Most common allergens were Dust mite (60% followed by Parthenium leaves (45%, insects (18.75%, pollen (14.81%, dust allergens (8.51%, fabrics (8.33%, fungi (5.66%, dander (5%. Most common insect allergens were cockroach (female (30%, cockroach (male (23.33%. Common pollens were Ricinus communis (28.33%, Amaranthus spinosus (28.33%, Parthenium hysterophorus (26.66%, Eucalyptus tereticornis (26.66% and Cynodon dactylon (25%. Common dust allergens were house dust (21.66%, paper dust (11.66% and cotton mill dust (10%. Among fabrics kapok cotton (13.33% showed maximum positivity. Among fungi Aspergillus fumigatus (10% followed by A. niger (6.66% were most common. In animal dander group common ones were cat dander followed by dog dander. Conclusion: In conclusion it can be said that the knowledge drawn by above study will help to treat patients by immunotherapy or avoidance strategy.

Radiological and clinical characterization of the lysosomal storage disorders: non-lipid disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, E I; Xing, M; Moreno-De-Luca, A; Harmouche, E; Terk, M R

2014-01-01

Lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) are a large group of genetic metabolic disorders that result in the accumulation of abnormal material, such as mucopolysaccharides, glycoproteins, amino acids and lipids, within cells. Since many LSDs manifest during infancy or early childhood, with potentially devastating consequences if left untreated, timely identification is imperative to prevent irreversible damage and early death. In this review, the key imaging features of the non-lipid or extralipid LSDs are examined and correlated with salient clinical manifestations and genetic information. Disorders are stratified based on the type of excess material causing tissue or organ dysfunction, with descriptions of the mucopolysaccharidoses, mucolipidoses, alpha-mannosidosis, glycogen storage disorder II and cystinosis. In addition, similarities and differences in radiological findings between each of these LSDs are highlighted to facilitate further recognition. Given the rare and extensive nature of the LSDs, mastery of their multiple clinical and radiological traits may seem challenging. However, an understanding of the distinguishing imaging characteristics of LSDs and their clinical correlates may allow radiologists to play a key role in the early diagnosis of these progressive and potentially fatal disorders.

Identification of Common Neural Circuit Disruptions in Cognitive Control Across Psychiatric Disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

McTeague, Lisa M; Huemer, Julia; Carreon, David M; Jiang, Ying; Eickhoff, Simon B; Etkin, Amit

2017-07-01

Cognitive deficits are a common feature of psychiatric disorders. The authors investigated the nature of disruptions in neural circuitry underlying cognitive control capacities across psychiatric disorders through a transdiagnostic neuroimaging meta-analysis. A PubMed search was conducted for whole-brain functional neuroimaging articles published through June 2015 that compared activation in patients with axis I disorders and matched healthy control participants during cognitive control tasks. Tasks that probed performance or conflict monitoring, response inhibition or selection, set shifting, verbal fluency, and recognition or working memory were included. Activation likelihood estimation meta-analyses were conducted on peak voxel coordinates. The 283 experiments submitted to meta-analysis included 5,728 control participants and 5,493 patients with various disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar or unipolar depression, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders). Transdiagnostically abnormal activation was evident in the left prefrontal cortex as well as the anterior insula, the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, the right intraparietal sulcus, and the midcingulate/presupplementary motor area. Disruption was also observed in a more anterior cluster in the dorsal cingulate cortex, which overlapped with a network of structural perturbation that the authors previously reported in a transdiagnostic meta-analysis of gray matter volume. These findings demonstrate a common pattern of disruption across major psychiatric disorders that parallels the "multiple-demand network" observed in intact cognition. This network interfaces with the anterior-cingulo-insular or "salience network" demonstrated to be transdiagnostically vulnerable to gray matter reduction. Thus, networks intrinsic to adaptive, flexible cognition are vulnerable to broad-spectrum psychopathology. Dysfunction in these networks may reflect an intermediate transdiagnostic phenotype, which could be leveraged

Attitudes about Future Genetic Testing for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Addiction among Community-Based Veterans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michelle R. Lent

2017-05-01

Full Text Available This study explored attitudes toward hypothetical genetic testing for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD and addiction among veterans. We surveyed a random sample of community-based veterans (n = 700 by telephone. One year later, we asked the veterans to provide a DNA sample for analysis and 41.9% of them returned the DNA samples. Overall, most veterans were not interested in genetic testing neither for PTSD (61.7% nor for addiction (68.7%. However, bivariate analyses suggested there was an association between having the condition of interest and the likelihood of genetic testing on a 5-point scale (p < 0.001 for PTSD; p = 0.001 for alcohol dependence. While ordinal regressions confirmed these associations, the models with the best statistical fit were bivariate models of whether the veteran would likely test or not. Using logistic regressions, significant predictors for PTSD testing were receiving recent mental health treatment, history of a concussion, younger age, having PTSD, having alcohol dependence, currently taking opioids for pain, and returning the DNA sample during the follow-up. For addiction testing, significant predictors were history of concussion, younger age, psychotropic medication use, having alcohol dependence, and currently taking opioids for pain. Altogether, 25.9% of veterans reported that they would have liked to have known their genetic results before deployment, 15.6% reported after deployment, and 58.6% reported they did not want to know neither before nor after deployment. As advancements in genetic testing continue to evolve, our study suggests that consumer attitudes toward genetic testing for mental disorders are complex and better understanding of these attitudes and beliefs will be crucial to successfully promote utilization.

The role of identification in dynamic psychiatry and psychotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Corradi, Richard B

2011-01-01

Identification-a psychic process in which a person takes on characteristics of another-is a concept important to the understanding of human nature. It plays an important role in how our personalities develop, in our ability to deal with life's stresses, and in how we interact with other people. Knowledge of its manifestations is essential to dynamic psychiatry and to its applications in psychotherapy. This article defines identification and reviews its role in development and as a defense. It discusses its role in the psychopathology of disorders commonly encountered in psychotherapy practice-depression and anxiety states reactive to losses in life, and borderline states. Clinical vignettes illustrate how identification functions in these conditions, and also how identifications reveal themselves in the transference and are utilized in psychotherapy. A teaching vignette illustrates how important it is that residents learning the art of psychotherapy appreciate the therapeutic potential of identification. The article maintains that, although it often goes unrecognized, identification with the therapist is one of the most effective therapeutic devices in the transference.

Identification of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Mining

Science.gov (United States)

Weston, Eric; Pollard, Jonisha P.

2016-01-01

Work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD) prevention measures have been studied in great depth throughout various industries. While the nature and causes of these disorders have been characterized in many industries, WMSDs occurring in the U.S. mining sector have not been characterized for several years. In this report, MSHA accident/injury/illness data from 2009 to 2013 were characterized to determine the most frequently reported WMSDs in the U.S. mining sector. WMSDs were most frequently reported in workers with less than 5 years or more than 20 years of mining experience. The number of days lost from work was the highest for shoulder and knee injuries and was found to increase with worker age. Underground and surface coal, surface stone and stone processing plants experienced the greatest number of WMSDs over the period studied. WMSDs were most commonly caused by an employee suffering from an overexertion, falls or being struck by an object while performing materials handling, maintenance and repair tasks, getting on or off equipment or machines, and walking or running. The injury trends presented should be used to help determine the focus of future WMSD prevention research in mining. PMID:27294012

Identifying the Characteristics of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) among Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Someki, Fumio

2011-01-01

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), characterized by various levels of dysmorphia and behavioral and cognitive dysfunctions, is the result of prenatal alcohol exposure. FASD characteristics can be masked by many other conditions. As a result, early identification of FASD is often difficult, leading to a delay of children with FASD receiving…

Review: Gender Identity Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Reza Mohammadi

2000-10-01

Full Text Available Gender identity includes individual sense of being male or female personality. Which will has been typical figured by the ages of 3 or 4 years. There are two criteria in DSM-IV A A strong and steady identification with opposite sex, B Inappropriate permanent feeling with self gender or unsuitable belief in self gender role. The frequency of this disorder have consisted various rates of 6-16% among nonformal epidemiologic studies. In order to evaluate of this disorder, we would already consider the parents reports, behavioral methods projective techniques. Meanwhile depression, behavioral abnormality and personality disorders can he figured as comorbidities of GID. There is no exact known relationship between sexual – orientation and sexual identification. It's been revealed bio-psycho-social etiological influenced factors in this case. On basis of Zucher, Bradly and Coates theorical models, exposed that there are usually two interactive factors which known as the major causes of gender Identity disorder: A general main factor which enforces the child anxiety and as a specific factor that poses dynamically among family members or in child own himself/herself. Behavioral techniques, psychoanalysis and family training can be considered as management modalities, but personal and self authorization, particularly within concern to comorbidities other psychosocial problems are felt so great importance.

The cognitive psychology of Internet gaming disorder.

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King, Daniel L; Delfabbro, Paul H

2014-06-01

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) has received nomenclatural recognition as a potential mental health disorder, despite evident variability in its core psychopathology and psychometric assessment. Although cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is considered an efficacious treatment for IGD, the underlying cognitions of the disorder are not well understood. This review aimed to synthesise research evidence on Internet gaming cognition toward identification of cognitive factors underlying IGD. A systematic review of 29 quantitative studies on Internet gaming cognition and 7 treatment studies employing cognitive therapy for IGD was conducted. Four cognitive factors underlying IGD were identified. Factors included (a) beliefs about game reward value and tangibility, (b) maladaptive and inflexible rules about gaming behaviour, (c) over-reliance on gaming to meet self-esteem needs, and (d) gaming as a method of gaining social acceptance. It is proposed that IGD-related cognition may be more complex than "preoccupation" (i.e., criterion A of IGD). IGD cognition may involve the persistent overvaluation of video gaming rewards, activities, and identities, combined with a need to adhere to maladaptive rules governing use and completion of video games. Greater understanding of the proposed cognitive factors may advance clinical research agendas on identification of individuals with IGD, as well as the expansion and improvement of cognitive therapies for the disorder. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Books and Balls: Antecedents and Outcomes of College Identification

Science.gov (United States)

Porter, Thomas; Hartman, Katherine; Johnson, John Seth

2011-01-01

Identification plays a central role in models of giving to an organization. This study presents and tests a general model of giving that highlights status based and affect based drivers of identification. The model was tested using a sample of 114 alumni from 74 different colleges participated in an online survey. Identification was found to…

[The lh-rh-test in men with fertility disorders (author's transl)].

Science.gov (United States)

Krause, W; Höbel, W

1976-11-01

89 mal patients with fertility disorders underwent a test with 50 mug synthetic LH-RH. The basal levels of FSH and LH are elevated in patients with azoospermia, with testicular atrophy, varicocele and Klinefelters syndrome. They increase with age. After stimulation with LH-RH the highest relative peaks (maximal value divided by control value) of LH are seen younger patients, in those with varicocele, and oligozoospermia. The FSH-values do not differ significantly between these groups. Low relative peaks of LH are seen in older patients. In Klinefelter's syndrome the relative peaks of FSH and LH are significantly lowered.

TCIQ: An identification by intensity and frequency of potent testing cues in science

Science.gov (United States)

Kermis, William J.

Everyone experiences some anxiety while taking an examination. High-test-anxious (HTA) and low-test-anxious (LTA) students are described by two characteristic differences: frequency and intensity of anxious responses and attentional direction to testing cues. The purposes of this study were threefold: (1) to report potent testing cues (i.e., 90% response agreement for both intensity and frequency) that were identified by HTA and LTA students; (2) to report differences between HTA and LTA students for frequencies and intensities of responses to testing cues; and (3) to report differences between HTA and LTA students of attentional direction to testing cues. A pool of 396 males and females who were enrolled in physical geology completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. A random sample consisting of 93 HTA and 40 LTA subjects completed the Test Cues Identification Questionnaire (TCIQ). The TCIQ consists of 28 disruptive items and 27 helpful items. Subjects responded with both frequency and intensity ratings for all of the 55 items in the TCIQ. Results revealed that 22 items were viewed by subjects as potent testing cues. Empirical evidence obtained did not support previous theoretical reports of differences between HTA and LTA students for either frequency and intensity of anxious responses or attentional direction to the set of disruptive and helpful testing cues. Although test anxiousness did not appear to be associated with those two characteristics differences, a discriminant analysis revealed 24 items in the TCIQ which significantly, 2 (24) = 47.59, p < 0.004, separated HTA and LTA subjects responses. Apparently, HTA and LTA students differ in their responses to specific disruptive and helpful cues but not in their responses to the set of testing cues as was previously postulated.

A network approach to the comorbidity between posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder: The role of overlapping symptoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Afzali, Mohammad H; Sunderland, Matthew; Teesson, Maree; Carragher, Natacha; Mills, Katherine; Slade, Tim

2017-01-15

The role of symptom overlap between major depressive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder in comorbidity between two disorders is unclear. The current study applied network analysis to map the structure of symptom associations between these disorders. Data comes from a sample of 909 Australian adults with a lifetime history of trauma and depressive symptoms. Data analysis consisted of the construction of two comorbidity networks of PTSD/MDD with and without overlapping symptoms, identification of the bridging symptoms, and computation of the centrality measures. The prominent bridging role of four overlapping symptoms (i.e., sleep problems, irritability, concentration problems, and loss of interest) and five non-overlapping symptoms (i.e., feeling sad, feelings of guilt, psychomotor retardation, foreshortened future, and experiencing flashbacks) is highlighted. The current study uses DSM-IV criteria for PTSD and does not take into consideration significant changes made to PTSD criteria in DSM-5. Moreover, due to cross-sectional nature of the data, network estimates do not provide information on whether a symptom actively triggers other symptoms or whether a symptom mostly is triggered by other symptoms. The results support the role of dysphoria-related symptoms in PTSD/MDD comorbidity. Moreover, Identification of central symptoms and bridge symptoms will provide useful targets for interventions that seek to intervene early in the development of comorbidity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genetic test utilization and diagnostic yield in adult patients with neurological disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Bardakjian, Tanya M; Helbig, Ingo; Quinn, Colin; Elman, Lauren B; McCluskey, Leo F; Scherer, Steven S; Gonzalez-Alegre, Pedro

2018-03-28

To determine the diagnostic yield of different genetic test modalities in adult patients with neurological disorders, we evaluated all adult patients seen for genetic diagnostic evaluation in the outpatient neurology practice at the University of Pennsylvania between January 2016 and April 2017 as part of the newly created Penn Neurogenetics Program. Subjects were identified through our electronic medical system as those evaluated by the Program's single clinical genetic counselor in that period. A total of 377 patients were evaluated by the Penn Neurogenetics Program in different settings and genetic testing recommended. Of those, 182 (48%) were seen in subspecialty clinic setting and 195 (52%) in a General Neurogenetics Clinic. Genetic testing was completed in over 80% of patients in whom it was recommended. The diagnostic yield was 32% across disease groups. Stratified by testing modality, the yield was highest with directed testing (50%) and array comparative genomic hybridization (45%), followed by gene panels and exome testing (25% each). In conclusion, genetic testing can be successfully requested in clinic in a large majority of adult patients. Age is not a limiting factor for a genetic diagnostic evaluation and the yield of clinical testing across phenotypes (almost 30%) is consistent with previous phenotype-focused or research-based studies. These results should inform the development of specific guidelines for clinical testing and serve as evidence to improve reimbursement by insurance payers.

Modal Identification of a Time-Invariant 6-Storey Model Test RC-Frame from Free Decay Tests using Multi-Variate Models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skjærbæk, P. S.; Nielsen, Søren R. K.; Kirkegaard, Poul Henning

1997-01-01

in the comparison. The data investigated are sampled from a laboratory model of a plane 6-storey, 2-bay RC-frame. The laboratory model is excited at the top storey where two different types of excitation where considered. In the first case the structure was excited in the first mode and in the second case......The scope of the paper is to apply multi-variate time-domain models for identification of eginfrequencies and mode shapes of a time- invariant model test Reinforced Concrete (RC) frame from measured decays. The frequencies and mode shapes of interest are the two lowest ones since they are normally...

Modal Identification of a Time-Invariant 6-Storey Model Test RC-Frame from Free Decay Tests using Multi-Variate Models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skjærbæk, P. S.; Nielsen, Søren R. K.; Kirkegaard, Poul Henning

in the comparison. The data investigated are sampled from a laboratory model of a plane 6-storey, 2-bay RC-frame. The laboratory model is excited at the top storey where two different types of excitation where considered. In the first case the structure was excited in the first mode and in the second case......The scope of the paper is to apply multi-variate time-domain models for identification of eginfrequencies and mode shapes of a time- invariant model test Reinforced Concrete (RC) frame from measured decays. The frequencies and mode shapes of interest are the two lowest ones since they are normally...

42 CFR 493.865 - Standard; Antibody identification.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Standard; Antibody identification. 493.865 Section..., Or Any Combination of These Tests § 493.865 Standard; Antibody identification. (a) Failure to attain... proficiency testing event. (e) Failure to identify the same antibody in two consecutive or two out of three...

Predictive Psychiatric Genetic Testing in Minors: An Exploration of the Non-Medical Benefits.

Science.gov (United States)

Manzini, Arianna; Vears, Danya F

2018-03-01

Predictive genetic testing for susceptibility to psychiatric conditions is likely to become part of standard practice. Because the onset of most psychiatric diseases is in late adolescence or early adulthood, testing minors could lead to early identification that may prevent or delay the development of these disorders. However, due to their complex aetiology, psychiatric genetic testing does not provide the immediate medical benefits that current guidelines require for testing minors. While several authors have argued non-medical benefits may play a crucial role in favour of predictive testing for other conditions, little research has explored such a role in psychiatric disorders. This paper outlines the potential non-medical benefits and harms of psychiatric genetic testing in minors in order to consider whether the non-medical benefits could ever make such testing appropriate. Five non-medical themes arise in the literature: psychological impacts, autonomy/self-determination, implications of the biomedical approach, use of financial and intellectual resources, and discrimination. Non-medical benefits were prominent in all of them, suggesting that psychiatric genetic testing in minors may be appropriate in some circumstances. Further research needs to empirically assess these potential non-medical benefits, incorporate minors in the debate, and include normative reflection to evaluate the very purposes and motivations of psychiatric genetic testing in minors.

Vibratory gyroscopes : identification of mathematical model from test data

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Shatalov, MY

2007-05-01

Full Text Available Simple mathematical model of vibratory gyroscopes imperfections is formulated, which includes anisotropic damping and variation of mass-stiffness parameters and their harmonics. The method of identification of parameters of the mathematical model...

Non-suicidal self-injury in eating disordered patients: a test of a conceptual model.

Science.gov (United States)

Muehlenkamp, Jennifer J; Claes, Laurence; Smits, Dirk; Peat, Christine M; Vandereycken, Walter

2011-06-30

A theoretical model explaining the high co-occurrence of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in eating disordered populations as resulting from childhood traumatic experiences, low self-esteem, psychopathology, dissociation, and body dissatisfaction was previously proposed but not empirically tested. The current study empirically evaluated the fit of this proposed model within a sample of 422 young adult females (mean age=21.60; S.D.=6.27) consecutively admitted to an inpatient treatment unit for eating disorders. Participants completed a packet of questionnaires within a week of admission. Structural equation modeling procedures showed the model provided a good fit to the data, accounting for 15% of the variance in NSSI. Childhood trauma appears to have an indirect relationship to NSSI that is likely to be expressed via relationships to low self-esteem, psychopathology, body dissatisfaction, and dissociation. It appears that dissociation and body dissatisfaction may be particularly salient factors to consider in both understanding and treating NSSI within an eating disordered population. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clinical, Demographic, and Familial Correlates of Bipolar Spectrum Disorders among Offspring of Parents with Bipolar Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Goldstein, Benjamin I.; Shamseddeen, Wael; Axelson, David A.; Kalas, Cathy; Monk, Kelly; Brent, David A.; Kupfer, David J.; Birmaher, Boris

2010-01-01

Objective: Despite increased risk, most offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (BP) do not manifest BP. The identification of risk factors for BP among offspring could improve preventive and treatment strategies. We examined this topic in the Pittsburgh Bipolar Offspring Study (BIOS). Method: Subjects included 388 offspring, ages 7-17 years,…

Cardiovascular considerations of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medications: a report of the European Network on Hyperactivity Disorders work group, European Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Guidelines Group on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug safety meeting.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamilton, Robert M; Rosenthal, Eric; Hulpke-Wette, Martin; Graham, John G I; Sergeant, Joseph

2012-02-01

identification of risk factors for sudden death should not automatically exclude the use of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medication.

The impact of induced positive mood on symptomatic behaviour in eating disorders. An experimental, AB/BA crossover design testing a multimodal presentation during a test-meal.

Science.gov (United States)

Cardi, Valentina; Esposito, Mirko; Clarke, Ariana; Schifano, Sylvia; Treasure, Janet

2015-04-01

The aim of this study was to test the impact of a multimodal positive mood vodcast including pleasant images, background uplifting music and a script designed to elicit positive mood on eating disorders-related symptoms in participants suffering from an Eating Disorder (ED) and healthy controls (HCs). Forty-two women with an ED (Anorexia Nervosa [AN]: N = 19; Bulimia Nervosa [BN]: N = 23) and 36 HCs were included in an AB/BA cross-over design which compared the use of a positive mood induction procedure ("positive mood vodcast") with a control condition (i.e. blue static background, neutral music, and script describing objective facts) during a test-meal. Self-report measures and behavioural tasks were completed before and after the test-meal. The positive mood vodcast was associated with greater consumption of the test meal in the AN group; reduced vigilance to food stimuli and lower anxiety in the BN sample; and no significant changes in the HC group. The use of a positive mood vodcast was associated with some beneficial effects in the context of an experimental test-meal in participants with an ED. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Rapid Stain IDentification (RSID™ Reader System for Analysis and Documentation of RSID™ Tests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pravatchai W. Boonlayangoor

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The ability to detect the presence of body fluids is a crucial first step in documenting and processing forensic evidence. The Rapid Stain IDentification (RSID™ tests for blood, saliva, semen and urine are lateral flow immunochromatographic strip tests specifically designed for forensic use. Like most lateral flow strips, the membrane components of the test are enclosed in a molded plastic cassette with a sample well and an observation window. No specialized equipment is required to use these tests or to score the results seen in the observation window; however, the utility of these tests can be enhanced if an electronic record of the test results can be obtained, preferably by a small hand-held device that could be used in the field under low light conditions. Such a device should also be able to “read” the lateral flow strips and accurately record the results of the test as either positive, i.e., the body fluid was detected, or negative, i.e., the body fluid was not detected. Here we describe the RSID™ Reader System—a ruggedized strip test reader unit that allows analysis and documentation of RSID™ lateral flow strip tests using pre-configured settings, and show that the RSID™ Reader can accurately and reproducibly report and record correct results from RSID™ blood, saliva, semen, and urine tests.

An Investigation of Loss of Control Eating Disorder in Children

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-19

syndrome eating disorders in adulthood ( Kotler , Cohen, Davies, Pine, & Walsh, 2001). For this reason, early identification of pathological overeating...eating (Iancu, Cohen, Ben Yehuda, & Kotler , 2006; Schmidt, Jiwany, & Treasure, 1993). Such research indicates that alexithymia may be a stable trait...CT: Yale University. Iancu, I., Cohen, E., Ben Yehuda, Y., & Kotler , M. (2006). Treatmetn of eating disorders improves eating symptoms but not

Linear and non-linear analyses of Conner's Continuous Performance Test-II discriminate adult patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder from patients with mood and anxiety disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Fasmer, Ole Bernt; Mjeldheim, Kristin; Førland, Wenche; Hansen, Anita L; Syrstad, Vigdis Elin Giæver; Oedegaard, Ketil J; Berle, Jan Øystein

2016-08-11

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a heterogeneous disorder. Therefore it is important to look for factors that can contribute to better diagnosis and classification of these patients. The aims of the study were to characterize adult psychiatric out-patients with a mixture of mood, anxiety and attentional problems using an objective neuropsychological test of attention combined with an assessment of mood instability. Newly referred patients (n = 99; aged 18-65 years) requiring diagnostic evaluation of ADHD, mood or anxiety disorders were recruited, and were given a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation including the self-report form of the cyclothymic temperament scale and Conner's Continuous Performance Test II (CPT-II). In addition to the traditional measures from this test we have extracted raw data and analysed time series using linear and non-linear mathematical methods. Fifty patients fulfilled criteria for ADHD, while 49 did not, and were given other psychiatric diagnoses (clinical controls). When compared to the clinical controls the ADHD patients had more omission and commission errors, and higher reaction time variability. Analyses of response times showed higher values for skewness in the ADHD patients, and lower values for sample entropy and symbolic dynamics. Among the ADHD patients 59 % fulfilled criteria for a cyclothymic temperament, and this group had higher reaction time variability and lower scores on complexity than the group without this temperament. The CPT-II is a useful instrument in the assessment of ADHD in adult patients. Additional information from this test was obtained by analyzing response times using linear and non-linear methods, and this showed that ADHD patients with a cyclothymic temperament were different from those without this temperament.

Visual processing in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders: Evidence from embedded figures and configural superiority tests

OpenAIRE

Dillen, Claudia; Steyaert, Jean; Op de Beeck, Hans; Boets, Bart

2015-01-01

The embedded figures test has often been used to reveal weak central coherence in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here, we administered a more standardized automated version of the embedded figures test in combination with the configural superiority task, to investigate the effect of contextual modulation on local feature detection in 23 adolescents with ASD and 26 matched typically developing controls. On both tasks both groups performed l...

Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the Eating Attitudes Test in Young Female Patients with Eating Disorders in Mainland China.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Qing; Chan, Raymond C K; Li, Xiaoping; Arcelus, Jon; Yue, Ling; Huang, Jiabin; Gu, Lian; Fan, Qing; Zhang, Haiyin; Xiao, Zeping; Chen, Jue

2017-11-01

The study aimed to investigate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the eating attitudes test (EAT-26) among female adolescents and young adults in Mainland China. This scale was administered to 396 female eating disorder patients and 406 noneating disorder healthy controls, in addition 35 healthy controls completed a retest after a 4-week intervals. Tests for reliability, convergent validity and receiver operating characteristic analysis were performed to detect the psychometric properties. The EAT-26 demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.822-0.922), test-retest reliability (interclass correlation coefficient = 0.817) and convergent validity(r = 0.450-0.750). The receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the cut-off 14 for anorexia nervosa and 15 for bulimia nervosa represented good compromises with approximate sensitivity (0.66-0.68) and specificity (0.85-0.86). Our findings provided evidence that the Chinese version of the EAT-26 was a psychometrically reliable and valid self-rating instrument for identifying people suffering from an eating disorder in Mainland China. A clinical cut-off range between 14 and 15 could be used, but caution should be exercised because of the low sensitivity of the tool. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Causal Beliefs and Effects upon Mental Illness Identification Among Chinese Immigrant Relatives of Individuals with Psychosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Lawrence H; Wonpat-Borja, Ahtoy J

2012-08-01

Identifying factors that facilitate treatment for psychotic disorders among Chinese-immigrants is crucial due to delayed treatment use. Identifying causal beliefs held by relatives that might predict identification of 'mental illness' as opposed to other 'indigenous labels' may promote more effective mental health service use. We examine what effects beliefs of 'physical causes' and other non-biomedical causal beliefs ('general social causes', and 'indigenous Chinese beliefs' or culture-specific epistemologies of illness) might have on mental illness identification. Forty-nine relatives of Chinese-immigrant consumers with psychosis were sampled. Higher endorsement of 'physical causes' was associated with mental illness labeling. However among the non-biomedical causal beliefs, 'general social causes' demonstrated no relationship with mental illness identification, while endorsement of 'indigenous Chinese beliefs' showed a negative relationship. Effective treatment- and community-based psychoeducation, in addition to emphasizing biomedical models, might integrate indigenous Chinese epistemologies of illness to facilitate rapid identification of psychotic disorders and promote treatment use.

Microbial identification and automated antibiotic susceptibility testing directly from positive blood cultures using MALDI-TOF MS and VITEK 2.

Science.gov (United States)

Wattal, C; Oberoi, J K

2016-01-01

The study addresses the utility of Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionisation Time-Of-Flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) using VITEK MS and the VITEK 2 antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) system for direct identification (ID) and timely AST from positive blood culture bottles using a lysis-filtration method (LFM). Between July and December 2014, a total of 140 non-duplicate mono-microbial blood cultures were processed. An aliquot of positive blood culture broth was incubated with lysis buffer before the bacteria were filtered and washed. Micro-organisms recovered from the filter were first identified using VITEK MS and its suspension was used for direct AST by VITEK 2 once the ID was known. Direct ID and AST results were compared with classical methods using solid growth. Out of the 140 bottles tested, VITEK MS resulted in 70.7 % correct identification to the genus and/ or species level. For the 103 bottles where identification was possible, there was agreement in 97 samples (94.17 %) with classical culture. Compared to the routine method, the direct AST resulted in category agreement in 860 (96.5 %) of 891 bacteria-antimicrobial agent combinations tested. The results of direct ID and AST were available 16.1 hours before those of the standard approach on average. The combined use of VITEK MS and VITEK 2 directly on samples from positive blood culture bottles using a LFM technique can result in rapid and reliable ID and AST results in blood stream infections to result in early institution of targeted treatment. The combination of LFM and AST using VITEK 2 was found to expedite AST more reliably.

A Quick Test of Cognitive Speed for Comparing Processing Speed to Differentiate Adult Psychiatric Referrals With and Without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders

OpenAIRE

Wiig, Elisabeth Hemmersam; Nielsen, Niels Peter

2012-01-01

Objective: This retrospective study used A Quick Test of Cognitive Speed (AQT) to compare processing speed and efficiency measures by adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or non-ADHD psychiatric disorders and healthy controls.

Test of the role of nicotine dependence in the relation between posttraumatic stress disorder and panic spectrum problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Feldner, Matthew T; Smith, Rose C; Babson, Kimberly A; Sachs-Ericsson, Natalie; Schmidt, Norman B; Zvolensky, Michael J

2009-02-01

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) frequently co-occurs with panic spectrum problems. Relatively little empirical work has tested possible mechanisms accounting for this association. Nicotine dependence often ensues subsequent to PTSD onset and research suggests smoking high numbers of cigarettes daily may lead to panic problems. The current study tested the hypotheses that nicotine dependence partially mediates the relations between PTSD and both panic attacks and panic disorder within a nationally representative sample of 5,692 (3,020 women; M(Age) = 45, SD = 18) adults from the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication. Results were consistent with hypotheses. These findings support the theory suggesting smoking among people with PTSD may be involved in the development of panic problems.

Eating behavior and eating disorders in adults before bariatric surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, James E; King, Wendy C; Courcoulas, Anita; Dakin, George; Elder, Katherine; Engel, Scott; Flum, David; Kalarchian, Melissa; Khandelwal, Saurabh; Pender, John; Pories, Walter; Wolfe, Bruce

2015-03-01

To describe eating patterns, prevalence of problematic eating behaviors, and determine factors associated with binge eating disorder (BED), before bariatric surgery. Before surgery, 2,266 participants (median age 46 years; 78.6% female; 86.9% white; median body mass index 45.9 kg/m(2) ) of the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery-2 (LABS-2) study completed eating behavior survey items in the self-administered LABS-2 Behavior form. Other measures included the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, the LABS-2 Psychiatric and Emotional Test Survey, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List-12, the Short Form-36 Health Survey, and Impact of Weight Quality of Life-Lite Survey. The majority (92.1%) of participants reported eating dinner regularly, whereas just over half (54.0%) reported eating breakfast regularly. Half of the participants reported eating at least four meals/week at restaurants; two meals/week were fast food. Loss of control eating was reported by 43.4%, night eating syndrome by 17.7%; 15.7% satisfied criteria for binge eating disorder (BED), 2% for bulimia nervosa. Factors that independently increased the odds of BED were being a college graduate, eating more times per day, taking medication for psychiatric or emotional problems, and having symptoms of alcohol use disorder, lower self-esteem and greater depressive symptoms. Before undergoing bariatric surgery a substantial proportion of patients report problematic eating behaviors. Several factors associated with BED were identified, most suggesting other mental health problems, including higher levels of depressive symptomotology. The strengths of this study include the large sample size, the multi-center design and use of standardized assessment practices. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Review: Accuracy of Salivary Lithium Testing in Treatment Monitoring in Mood Disorders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abbas Ali Asadi

2006-04-01

Full Text Available Lithium preparations have been used in bipolar mood disorders since 19th Century. Lethal toxic effect of lithium due to it's narrow (therapeutic index had been known from several years ago and is the most problem when is prescribed. Serum level of lithium is accepted for monitoring of toxicity, but frequency of blood testing especially in stabilizing period is stressful for patients, also it is difficult in such psychiatric patients especially in children. Many researchers worked to find a less aggressive method. One of these methods is monitoring based on salivary lithium concentration, which is controversy according to this review articles. All papers from 1949 till now are reviewed in this article and revealed this controversy. According to this review article, three ways are being suggested to solve this problem 1- Stimulation of salivary – serum ratio of lithium based on tree separated paired tests 2- Improving methods and techniques of testing. 3- Modifying of this ratio based on natural markers.

The current perception threshold test differentiates categories of mechanical neck disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Uddin, Zakir; MacDermid, Joy C; Galea, Victoria; Gross, Anita R; Pierrynowski, Michael R

2014-07-01

Cross-sectional discriminative analysis. To determine whether current perception threshold (CPT) can differentiate between categories of patients with mechanical neck disorders (MNDs). Neck pain is the third most common musculoskeletal disorder and affects a third of all adults each year. It can present as neck pain without musculoskeletal signs, neck pain with musculoskeletal signs but no neurological signs, or neck pain with neurological signs. CPT testing can assess altered sensory perception that may reflect neurological changes. Patients with MNDs (n = 106) were classified into 3 groups, based on a standardized musculoskeletal examination process performed by an experienced physiotherapist who was blinded to CPT scores. The 3 groups were defined as neck pain without musculoskeletal signs (MND I) (n = 60), neck pain with musculoskeletal signs (MND II) (n = 29), and neck pain with neurological signs (MND III) (n = 17). A rapid protocol of CPT testing was performed at 3 frequencies (5, 250, and 2000 Hz), using 3 dermatomal locations on the hand. A 1-way analysis of variance with post hoc comparison and effect sizes was calculated to compare the mean CPT scores between the groups. A binary logistic-regression model was used to predict probability of higher CPT in MND III and to create a receiver-operating-characteristic curve. Mean CPT differed significantly across the 3 MND groups (MND I, 9.7; MND II, 10.6; and MND III, 11.8; Pabnormal CPT in MND III had an estimated 73% sensitivity and 81% specificity; the odds ratio was 11.5 (P = .001) for the differentiation capacity of CPT between MND II and III, with a cutoff of 11. The area under the receiver-operating-characteristic curve was 0.84 (95% confidence interval: 0.72, 0.96; P<.001). CPT testing has moderate discriminatory accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity for classification of MND categories into neck pain with or without neurological signs. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2014;44(7):532-540. Epub 10 May 2014

Cultivar Evaluation and Essential Test Locations Identification for Sugarcane Breeding in China

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Jun Luo

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The discrepancies across test sites and years, along with the interaction between cultivar and environment, make it difficult to accurately evaluate the differences of the sugarcane cultivars. Using a genotype main effect plus genotype-environment interaction (GGE Biplot software, the yield performance data of seven sugarcane cultivars in the 8th Chinese National Sugarcane Regional Tests were analyzed to identify cultivars recommended for commercial release. Fn38 produced a high and stable sugar yield. Gn02-70 had the lowest cane yield with high stability. Yz06-407 was a high cane yield cultivar with poor stability in sugar yield. Yz05-51 and Lc03-1137 had an unstable cane yield but relatively high sugar yield. Fn39 produced stable high sugar yield with low and unstable cane production. Significantly different sugar and cane yields were observed across seasons due to strong cultivar-environment interactions. Three areas, Guangxi Chongzuo, Guangxi Baise, and Guangxi Hechi, showed better representativeness of cane yield and sugar content than the other four areas. On the other hand, the areas Guangxi Chongzuo, Yunnan Lincang, and Yunnan Baoshan showed strong discrimination ability, while the areas Guangxi Hechi and Guangxi Liuzhou showed poor discrimination ability. This study provides a reference for cultivar evaluation and essential test locations identification for sugarcane breeding in China.

Handwriting-Based Model for Identification of Developmental Disorders among North Indian Children

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Dhall, Jasmine Kaur

2016-01-01

Handwriting execution is based on the cognitive, kinesthetic, motor skills, and manual co-ordination skills of an individual. The deterioration in handwriting quality is a common implication of neurological disorders. Difficulty and degradation in handwriting has been attributed to the sensory motor deficits prevalent in developmental disorders.…

Identification of multiple genetic loci in the mouse controlling immobility time in the tail suspension and forced swimming tests.

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Abou-Elnaga, Ahmed F; Torigoe, Daisuke; Fouda, Mohamed M; Darwish, Ragab A; Abou-Ismail, Usama A; Morimatsu, Masami; Agui, Takashi

2015-05-01

Depression is one of the most famous psychiatric disorders in humans in all over the countries and considered a complex neurobehavioral trait and difficult to identify causal genes. Tail suspension test (TST) and forced swimming test (FST) are widely used for assessing depression-like behavior and antidepressant activity in mice. A variety of antidepressant agents are known to reduce immobility time in both TST and FST. To identify genetic determinants of immobility duration in both tests, we analyzed 101 F2 mice from an intercross between C57BL/6 and DBA/2 strains. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping using 106 microsatellite markers revealed three loci (two significant and one suggestive) and five suggestive loci controlling immobility time in the TST and FST, respectively. Results of QTL analysis suggest a broad description of the genetic architecture underlying depression, providing underpinnings for identifying novel molecular targets for antidepressants to clear the complex genetic mechanisms of depressive disorders.

Diagnostic accuracy of scapular physical examination tests for shoulder disorders: a systematic review.

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Wright, Alexis A; Wassinger, Craig A; Frank, Mason; Michener, Lori A; Hegedus, Eric J

2013-09-01

To systematically review and critique the evidence regarding the diagnostic accuracy of physical examination tests for the scapula in patients with shoulder disorders. A systematic, computerised literature search of PubMED, EMBASE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library databases (from database inception through January 2012) using keywords related to diagnostic accuracy of physical examination tests of the scapula. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool was used to critique the quality of each paper. Eight articles met the inclusion criteria; three were considered to be of high quality. Of the three high-quality studies, two were in reference to a 'diagnosis' of shoulder pain. Only one high-quality article referenced specific shoulder pathology of acromioclavicular dislocation with reported sensitivity of 71% and 41% for the scapular dyskinesis and SICK scapula test, respectively. Overall, no physical examination test of the scapula was found to be useful in differentially diagnosing pathologies of the shoulder.

Stable Early Maternal Report of Behavioral Inhibition Predicts Lifetime Social Anxiety Disorder in Adolescence

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Chronis-Tuscano, Andrea; Degnan, Kathryn Amey; Pine, Daniel S.; Perez-Edgar, Koraly; Henderson, Heather A.; Diaz, Yamalis; Raggi, Veronica L.; Fox, Nathan A.

2009-01-01

The odds of a lifetime diagnosis of social anxiety disorder increased by 3.79 times for children who had a stable report of behavioral inhibition from their mothers. This finding has important implications for the early identification and prevention of social anxiety disorder.

Identification of Elderly Falling Risk by Balance Tests Under Dual Tasks Conditions

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Mohammad Ali Aslankhani

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Objectives: This study aimed to identify elderly fallers and non-fallers by balance test under dual tasks conditions. Methods & Materials: This study was an analyze-comparative study. Subjects were from three park of Tehran. Subjects were 20 older adults with outhistory of falls (aged 75.95±6.28 years and 21 older adults with a history of 2 or more falls in the previous one year (aged 72.50±7.31 Years . All subjects performed Timed Up & Go test under 3 conditions (TimedUp & Go, Timed Up & Go with numbers counter randomly [TUG cognitive], and Timed Up & Go while carrying a full cup of water [TUG manual]. A multivariate analysis of variance and logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: The results showed significant difference between elderly fallers and non fallers in fall risk composed dependent variable (P=0.0005, as the non fallers had greater score than the elderly fallers. Also, results showed that TUG cognitive has prediction capacity of elderly fall (P=0.013. Conclusion: Consequently, balance under cognitive dual task conditions could be useful method in identification of risk of falling and planning dual task exercise program and physiotherapy to preventfalls.

Testing isotopic labeling with [¹³C₆]glucose as a method of advanced glycation sites identification.

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Kielmas, Martyna; Kijewska, Monika; Stefanowicz, Piotr; Szewczuk, Zbigniew

2012-12-01

The Maillard reaction occurring between reducing sugars and reactive amino groups of biomolecules leads to the formation of a heterogeneous mixture of compounds: early, intermediate, and advanced glycation end products (AGEs). These compounds could be markers of certain diseases and of the premature aging process. Detection of Amadori products can be performed by various methods, including MS/MS techniques and affinity chromatography on immobilized boronic acid. However, the diversity of the structures of AGEs makes detection of these compounds more difficult. The aim of this study was to test a new method of AGE identification based on isotope (13)C labeling. The model protein (hen egg lysozyme) was modified with an equimolar mixture of [(12)C(6)]glucose and [(13)C(6)]glucose and then subjected to reduction of the disulfide bridges followed by tryptic hydrolysis. The digest obtained was analyzed by LC-MS. The glycation products were identified on the basis of characteristic isotopic patterns resulting from the use of isotopically labeled glucose. This method allowed identification of 38 early Maillard reaction products and five different structures of the end glycation products. This isotopic labeling technique combined with LC-MS is a sensitive method for identification of advanced glycation end products even if their chemical structure is unknown. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Appraisals to affect: Testing the integrative cognitive model of bipolar disorder.

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Palmier-Claus, Jasper E; Dodd, Alyson; Tai, Sara; Emsley, Richard; Mansell, Warren

2016-09-01

Cognitive models have suggested that extreme appraisals of affective states and maladaptive affect regulation strategies are important in the development of bipolar symptomatology. Little is known about the pathway by which these appraisals and behaviours interact in the formation of activated and depressed affective states. This study tested the predictions that (1) ascent behaviours mediate the relationship between positive appraisals of activated mood and activation; and (2) descent behaviours mediate the relationship between negative appraisals of activated mood and depression. A total of 52 individuals with a DSM-IV diagnosis of bipolar I or II disorder (confirmed by structured interview) completed biweekly assessments of affect regulation behaviours and mood for 4 weeks. Positive and negative appraisals of affective states were assessed at baseline through the Hypomanic Attitudes and Positive Prediction Inventory. Multilevel mediation analysis was used to explore the data. Ascent behaviours partially mediated the relationship between positive appraisals of activated mood and activation. Descent behaviours, but not negative appraisals of activated mood, predicted levels of depression indicating the absence of a mediation effect. The results suggest that positive appraisals of activated mood can escalate activation in individuals with bipolar disorder. Such appraisals may be inherently rewarding and reinforcing directly elevating levels of activation, whilst increasing individuals' use of ascent behaviours. The results are consistent with the view that appraisals and behaviours should be targeted during cognitive behavioural therapy for bipolar disorder. It may be beneficial to target positive appraisals of activated mood in cognitive behavioural therapy for mania. Cognitive behavioural therapists may also wish to focus on identifying and targeting individuals' use of ascent behaviours to reduce highly activated states. © 2015 The British Psychological

Performance of the AUDIT in Detecting DSM-5 Alcohol Use Disorders in College Students.

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Hagman, Brett T

2016-09-18

It is critical that our alcohol screening instruments maintain their accuracy at detecting DSM-5 Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) symptomatology. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is one of the most widely used alcohol screening instruments, despite no studies evaluating its performance for detecting DSM-5 AUDs. The present study evaluated the performance of the AUDIT in the screening of DSM-5 AUDs in non-treatment seeking college students. Participants (N = 251) were undergraduate students who had at least one binge drinking occasion in the past 90-days. The AUROC value for DSM-5 AUD status in the overall sample was.779 (SE =.029; 95% CIs =.721 to.837). The AUROC values for the reference groups of any DSM-IV AUD and any binge drinker were.798 (SE =.028; 95% CIs =.742 to.853) and.827 (SE =.03; 95% CIs.768 -.886), respectively. A similar pattern of findings emerged between males and females. Gender differences emerged in the identification of AUDIT cut-off scores. A score of ≥ 8 and ≥ 9 had the best balance of sensitivity and specificity for females and males in college, respectively. Findings indicate that the AUDIT has a reasonable degree of diagnostic proficiency in screening for DSM-5 AUDs in college students.

The Developmental Brain Disorders Database (DBDB): a curated neurogenetics knowledge base with clinical and research applications.

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Mirzaa, Ghayda M; Millen, Kathleen J; Barkovich, A James; Dobyns, William B; Paciorkowski, Alex R

2014-06-01

The number of single genes associated with neurodevelopmental disorders has increased dramatically over the past decade. The identification of causative genes for these disorders is important to clinical outcome as it allows for accurate assessment of prognosis, genetic counseling, delineation of natural history, inclusion in clinical trials, and in some cases determines therapy. Clinicians face the challenge of correctly identifying neurodevelopmental phenotypes, recognizing syndromes, and prioritizing the best candidate genes for testing. However, there is no central repository of definitions for many phenotypes, leading to errors of diagnosis. Additionally, there is no system of levels of evidence linking genes to phenotypes, making it difficult for clinicians to know which genes are most strongly associated with a given condition. We have developed the Developmental Brain Disorders Database (DBDB: https://www.dbdb.urmc.rochester.edu/home), a publicly available, online-curated repository of genes, phenotypes, and syndromes associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. DBDB contains the first referenced ontology of developmental brain phenotypes, and uses a novel system of levels of evidence for gene-phenotype associations. It is intended to assist clinicians in arriving at the correct diagnosis, select the most appropriate genetic test for that phenotype, and improve the care of patients with developmental brain disorders. For researchers interested in the discovery of novel genes for developmental brain disorders, DBDB provides a well-curated source of important genes against which research sequencing results can be compared. Finally, DBDB allows novel observations about the landscape of the neurogenetics knowledge base. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Satiation deficits and binge eating: Probing differences between bulimia nervosa and purging disorder using an ad lib test meal.

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Keel, Pamela K; Haedt-Matt, Alissa A; Hildebrandt, Britny; Bodell, Lindsay P; Wolfe, Barbara E; Jimerson, David C

2018-04-11

Purging disorder (PD) has been included as a named condition within the DSM-5 category of Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder and differs from bulimia nervosa (BN) in the absence of binge-eating episodes. The current study evaluated satiation through behavioral and self-report measures to understand how this construct may explain distinct symptom presentations for bulimia nervosa (BN) and purging disorder (PD). Women (N = 119) were recruited from the community if they met DSM-5 criteria for BN (n = 57), PD (n = 31), or were free of eating pathology (n = 31 controls). Participants completed structured clinical interviews and questionnaires and an ad lib test meal during which they provided reports of subjective states. Significant group differences were found on self-reported symptoms, ad lib test meal intake, and subjective responses to food intake between individuals with eating disorders and controls and between BN and PD. Further, ad lib intake was associated with self-reported frequency and size of binge episodes. In a multivariable model, the amount of food consumed during binges as reported during clinical interviews predicted amount of food consumed during the ad lib test meal, controlling for other binge-related variables. Satiation deficits distinguish BN from PD and appear to be specifically linked to the size of binge episodes. Future work should expand exploration of physiological bases of these differences to contribute to novel interventions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Locating grey literature on communication disorders.

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Shpilko, Inna

2005-01-01

This article provides an overview of selected Web-based resources containing grey literature in the area of communication disorders. It is geared to practitioners, researchers, students, and consumers seeking reliable, freely available scientific information. Grey (or gray) literature has been defined as "that which is produced on all levels of government, academics, business, and industry in print and electronic formats, but which is not controlled by commercial publishers."1 This paper reviews various general reference sources potentially containing grey literature on communication disorders. This review includes identification of the methods specialists in this field use to obtain this valuable, yet often overlooked, literature. Access points and search tools for identifying grey literature on communication disorders are recommended. Commercial databases containing grey literature are not included. Conclusions presented in this article are considered complementary to traditionally published information resources on communication disorders, such as scholarly journals, online databases, etc.

Identification of dynamic characteristics by field vibration test in Tsurumi Tsubasa bridge; Tsurumi Tsubasakyo no shindo jikken ni yoru doteki tokusei no dotei

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Yamaguchi, H. [Saitama University, Saitama (Japan). Faculty of Engineering; Takano, H.; Ogasawara, M.; Shimosato, T. [Metropolitan Expressway Public Corp., Tokyo (Japan); Kato, M.; Okada, J. [NKK Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

1996-07-21

Field vibration test of the Tsurumi Tsubasa Bridge, a long span cable stayed bridge, has been conducted. Focusing on its dynamic characteristics, an identification method from test results and its validity were investigated. The natural frequency identified using mode circle and resonance curve from steady vibration test agreed with that identified by the peak method from free damping test. Accordingly, there was no difference due to identification methods, and both methods provided appropriate accuracy. The natural vibration mode obtained from the steady vibration test agreed with that obtained by the eigenvalue analysis. The dispersion of experimental values, which indicates the adaptation to mode circle method, became a scale indicating reliability of identified values. When the damping obtained by the half power method for the microtremors test is compared with that identified from the steady vibration test and free damping test, it is required to compare them at lower amplitude level region, considering that the amplitude level of microtremors test is very low. For the dynamic characteristics of the Tsurumi Tsubasa Bridge, it was found that it has lower natural frequency and higher modal damping compared with other cable stayed bridges with similar scale of span. 18 refs., 13 figs., 4 tabs.

Dysthymic disorder in the elderly population.

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Devanand, D P

2014-01-01

The diagnosis of dysthymic disorder was created in DSM-III and maintained in DSM-IV to describe a depressive syndrome of mild to moderate severity of at least two years' duration that did not meet criteria for major depressive disorder. The prevalence of dysthymic disorder is approximately 2% in the elderly population where subsyndromal depressions of lesser severity are more common. Dysthymic disorder was replaced in DSM-V by the diagnosis of "persistent depressive disorder" that includes chronic major depression and dysthymic disorder. In older adults, epidemiological and clinical evidence supports the use of the term "dysthymic disorder." In contrast to young adults with dysthymic disorder, older adults with dysthymic disorder commonly present with late age of onset, without major depression and other psychiatric disorders, and with a low rate of family history of mood disorders. They often have stressors such as loss of social support and bereavement, and some have cerebrovascular or neurodegenerative pathology. A minority has chronic depression dating from youth with psychiatric comorbidity similar to young adults with dysthymic disorder. In older adults, both dysthymic disorder and subsyndromal depression increase disability and lead to poor medical outcomes. Elderly patients with dysthymic disorder are seen mainly in primary care where identification and treatment are often inadequate. Treatment with antidepressant medication shows marginal superiority over placebo in controlled trials, and problem-solving therapy shows similar efficacy. Combined treatment and collaborative care models show slightly better results, but cost effectiveness is a concern. Further work is needed to clarify optimal approaches to the treatment of dysthymic disorder in elderly patients.

Prevalência de alterações de fala em crianças por meio de Teste de Rastreamento Prevalence of speech disorders in children through Screening Test

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Helena Jesini Meira Caldeira

2012-01-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: conhecer a prevalência de alterações de fala em crianças que frequentam o 1º ano do ensino fundamental em escolas públicas de Montes Claros - MG no ano de 2010, por meio de teste de rastreamento, verificar os resultados da triagem com a variável sexo e conhecer os principais processos fonológicos presentes nas crianças pesquisadas. MÉTODO: utilizou-se o Teste de Rastreamento de Distúrbios Articulatórios de Fala - TERDAF adaptado, um instrumento validado para este fim. Os alunos foram selecionados aleatoriamente para a aplicação do teste. RESULTADOS: foram avaliadas 404 crianças com média de idade de seis anos e cinco meses, 52,0% eram do sexo feminino. A prevalência de alterações de fala foi de 33,7%. Pode-se observar presença de ceceio em 8,4% das crianças. Dos 137 alunos com alguma alteração nos processos fonológicos, os mais utilizados foram: substituição de /λ/ por /i/ ou /y/, /l/ por /r/, /z/ por /s/ e omissão do /l/ e /r/. A chance de alterações de fala em crianças do sexo masculino foi 2,53 vezes àquela do sexo feminino. A média do tempo gasto durante o teste foi de um minuto e dezoito segundos. Conclusão: a prevalência de crianças com alterações de fala está em acordo com outros estudos. Ações do profissional fonoaudiólogo em pareceria com educadores contribuem para facilitar a aprendizagem como medida preventiva.PURPOSE: to determine the prevalence of speech disorders in children attending the first grade of primary education in public schools in Montes Claros - MG in 2010, through a screening test, in order to check the screening results with the sex variable and on the main phonological processes exhibited by the surveyed children. METHOD: we used an adopted validated instrument for this purpose (Screening Test for Speech Articulation Disorders. RESULTS: a total of 404 children with a mean age of six years and five months and 52,0% were female. The prevalence of phonological

Autism Spectrum Disorders and Self-Reports: Testing Validity and Reliability Using the NEO-PI-R

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Hesselmark, Eva; Eriksson, Jonna M.; Westerlund, Joakim; Bejerot, Susanne

2015-01-01

Although self-reported measures are frequently used to assess adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), the validity of self-reports is under-researched in ASD. The core symptoms of ASD may negatively affect the psychometric properties of self-reported measures. The aim of the present study was to test the validity and reliability of…

Theory of Mind in Adolescents with Bipolar Disorder in Euthymic Phase: ‎Using the Strange Stories Test

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Hamid Zarrabipoor

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Objective: This study evaluated the theory of mind (ToM in adolescents diagnosed with bipolar disorder ‎‎(BD during their euthymic period compared to a typically developing (TD group.‎Method: The BD group consisted of thirty 11-18 year old inpatients in euthymic phase. The TD ‎group included 30 age, gender, and IQ matched volunteer students. To assess the diagnosis and ‎comorbid disorders, we performed the semi-structured interview of the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders ‎and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL for the BD adolescents. To ‎evaluate the severity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD and mania, Conner's ‎Parent Rating Scale-Revised version (CPRS-R, and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS were ‎used, respectively. Ravens Progressive Matrices was conducted to evaluate intellectual ability in ‎the both groups. Happe Strange Stories test was performed to assess ToM in the participants. Data were ‎analyzed using the independent t-test, analysis of covariance, and Pearson Correlation analysis.‎Results: The two groups did not show any differences in comprehending the stories; however, the BD ‎group’s mentalizing scores were significantly weaker than the TD group (p<0.05.‎‎Conclusion: The ToM impairments in adolescents with BD may be explained as a trait marker which may lead ‎to continuation of social problems even during remission‏.‏

Adult Sex Identification Using Three-Dimensional Computed Tomography (3D-CT of the Pelvis: A Study Among a Sample of the Egyptian Population

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