Zooplankton-microplastic exposure in Delaware coastal waters: Atlantic blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) larvae case study.

High microplastic concentrations in the Delaware Bay have prompted concern regarding harm to local species. We consider the extent to which the zooplankton is exposed to bay-derived microplastics, focusing on Atlantic blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) during offshore larval migration. We simulate regional flow fields for a spawning season in the Delaware coastal system to advect passive Lagrangian microplastic and zooplankton tracers.

Methods for controlled preparation and dosing of microplastic fragments in bioassays.

Microplastic fragments (microfragments) are among the most abundant microplastic shapes found in marine ecosystems throughout the world. Due to their limited commercial availability, microfragments are rarely used in laboratory experiments. Here a novel method of microfragment production has been developed and validated.

The unique and conditional effects of interoceptive exposure in the treatment of anxiety: A functional analysis.

Interoceptive exposure (IE; exposure focused on anxiety about somatic sensations) is a well-established component of treatments for panic disorder (PD), but little is known about the specificity of its effects or individual response patterns resulting from this intervention. This study investigated the utility of IE in the treatment of PD with claustrophobia, examining its mechanisms in isolation and in combination with situational exposure. Ten adults with PD and claustrophobia were treated with a flexible single-case approach.

Quality of Life in Heterogeneous Anxiety Disorders: Changes Across Cognitive-Behavioral Treatments.

Quality of life is lower among individuals with anxiety disorders; however, this construct is rarely a focus in treatment research. This study explores changes in quality of life in a randomized, controlled trial of several cognitive-behavioral treatments (CBTs) for anxiety disorders. Adults with heterogeneous anxiety disorders ( = 223) were randomly assigned to (a) unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders, (c) a single-disorder protocol targeting their principal diagnosis, or (c) a waitlist control condition, and assessed at baseline, posttreatment, and 6-month follow-up.

Attentional Bias Modification for Social Anxiety Disorder: What do Patients Think and Why does it Matter?

Background: In the past decade, a great deal of research has examined the efficacy and mechanisms of attentional bias modification (ABM), a computerized cognitive training intervention for anxiety and other disorders. However, little research has examined how anxious patients perceive ABM, and it is unclear to what extent perceptions of ABM influence outcome.

Aims: To examine patient perceptions of ABM across two studies, using a mixed methods approach.

Development of a Single-Session, Transdiagnostic Preventive Intervention for Young Adults at Risk for Emotional Disorders.

Cognitive-behavioral prevention programs have demonstrated efficacy in reducing subclinical symptoms of anxiety and depression, and there is some evidence to suggest that they can lower the risk of future disorder onset. However, existing interventions tend to be relatively lengthy and target specific disorders or problem areas, both of which limit their potential for widespread dissemination. To address these limitations, we aimed to develop a single-session, transdiagnostic preventive intervention based on the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders for young adults at risk for developing anxiety and/or depressive disorders within a college setting.

The Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders Compared With Diagnosis-Specific Protocols for Anxiety Disorders: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Transdiagnostic interventions have been developed to address barriers to the dissemination of evidence-based psychological treatments, but only a few preliminary studies have compared these approaches with existing evidence-based psychological treatments.

Objective: To determine whether the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP) is at least as efficacious as single-disorder protocols (SDPs) in the treatment of anxiety disorders.

Design, Setting, And Participants: From June 23, 2011, to March 5, 2015, a total of 223 patients at an outpatient treatment center with a principal diagnosis of panic disorder with or without agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or social anxiety disorder were randomly assigned by principal diagnosis to the UP, an SDP, or a waitlist control condition.

Improvement in quality of life and sexual functioning in a comorbid sample after the unified protocol transdiagnostic group treatment.

Patients with multiple mental disorders often experience sexual dysfunction and reduced quality of life. The unified protocol (UP) is a transdiagnostic treatment for emotional disorders that has the potential to improve quality of life and sexual functioning via improved emotion management. The present study evaluates changes in quality of life and sexual functioning in a highly comorbid sample treated with the UP in a group format.

Current Definitions of "Transdiagnostic" in Treatment Development: A Search for Consensus.

Research in psychopathology has identified psychological processes that are relevant across a range of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) mental disorders, and these efforts have begun to produce treatment principles and protocols that can be applied transdiagnostically. However, review of recent work suggests that there has been great variability in conceptions of the term "transdiagnostic" in the treatment development literature. We believe that there is value in arriving at a common understanding of the term "transdiagnostic.

Origins and outlook of interoceptive exposure.

Background And Objectives: Interoceptive exposure (IE) is a behavioral intervention that reduces anxiety sensitivity and distress associated with somatic sensations. In this discussion, we describe the history, current applications and additional clinical potential of IE.

Method: We review the origins of IE and its historical application to panic disorder, as well as the accumulating evidence for transdiagnostic application to other disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, specific phobias and physical disorders.

A Transdiagnostic Temperament-Phenotype Profile Approach to Emotional Disorder Classification: An Update.

Although the emotional disorders (EDs) have achieved favorable reliability in the (DSM), accumulating evidence continues to underscore limitations in ED diagnostic validity. In particular, taxometric, comorbidity, and other descriptive psychopathology studies of transdiagnostic phenotypes studies suggest that the EDs may be best conceptualized as dimensional entities that are more similar than different. Despite optimism that the fifth edition of the DSM () would constitute a meaningful shift toward dimensional ED assessment and diagnosis, most changes contribute little movement in that direction.

Technical note: Effects of frozen storage on the mechanical properties of the suspensory tissue in the bovine claw.

It is proposed that a softening of the suspensory tissue in the claw is involved in the development of lameness and claw lesions in cattle. A relatively small amount of research has been carried out to verify this theory. Research in this area would be simplified if mechanical testing of the suspensory tissue could be performed on frozen and stored specimens.

Effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders on quality of life: a meta-analysis.

Objective: Although cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is effective for treating anxiety disorders, little is known about its effect on quality of life. To conduct a meta-analysis of CBT for anxiety disorders on quality of life, we searched for relevant studies in PubMed, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library and conducted manual searches.

Method: The search identified 44 studies that included 59 CBT trials, totaling 3,326 participants receiving CBT for anxiety disorders.

Effect of pharmacotherapy for anxiety disorders on quality of life: a meta-analysis.

Purpose: Pharmacotherapy is an effective treatment for anxiety disorders, but its effects on quality of life (QOL) have not been examined systematically. Our objective was to conduct an effect size analysis of pharmacological interventions on QOL outcomes in patients with DSM-IV anxiety disorders.

Methods: Manual and electronic searches using PubMed, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library were conducted for records from the first available date through May 1, 2013 for trials of pharmacological interventions in patients with anxiety disorders, which had measures of QOL before and after treatment.

D-Cycloserine as an augmentation strategy for cognitive behavioral therapy of anxiety disorders.

The goal of this review is to examine the clinical studies on d-cycloserine, a partial glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate agonist, as an augmentation strategy for exposure procedures during cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders. Although cognitive behavioral therapy and anxiolytic medications are more effective than placebo for treating anxiety disorders, there is still considerable room for further improvement. Traditional combination strategies typically yield disappointing results.

Structure-activity relationship of 5-chloro-2-methyl-3-(1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridin-4-yl)-1H-indole analogues as 5-HT(6) receptor agonists.

To further investigate the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of the 5-hydroxytryptamine type 6 (5-HT6) receptor agonist 5-chloro-2-methyl-3-(1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridin-4-yl)-1H-indole (EMD386088, 6), a series of 2-methyl-3-(1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridin-4-yl)-1H-indoles were synthesized, and in vitro affinity to, and functional activity at 5-HT6 receptors was tested. We focused on substituents made at the indole N(1)-, 2- and 5-positions and these were found to not only influence the affinity at 5-HT6 receptors but also the intrinsic activity leading to antagonists, partial agonists and full agonists. In order for a compound to demonstrate potent 5-HT6 receptor agonist properties, the indole N(1) should be unsubstituted, an alkyl group such as 2-methyl is needed and finally halogen substituents in the indole 5-position (fluoro, chloro or, bromo) were essential requirements.

Chemoradiotherapy with concurrent gemcitabine and cisplatin with or without sequential chemotherapy with gemcitabine/cisplatin vs chemoradiotherapy with concurrent 5-fluorouracil in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer--a multi-centre randomised phase II study.

Background: No standard treatment for locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) is defined.

Patients And Methods: Within a multi-centre, randomised phase II trial, 95 patients with LAPC were assigned to three different chemoradiotherapy (CRT) regimens: patients received conventionally fractionated radiotherapy of 50 Gy and were randomised to concurrent 5-fluorouracil (350 mg m(-2) per day on each day of radiotherapy, RT-5-FU arm), concurrent gemcitabine (300 mg m(-2)), and cisplatin (30 mg m(-2)) on days 1, 8, 22, and 29 (RT-GC arm), or the same concurrent treatment followed by sequential full-dose gemcitabine (1000 mg m(-2)) and cisplatin (50 mg m(-2)) every 2 weeks (RT-GC+GC arm). Primary end point was the overall survival (OS) rate after 9 months.

Inhibition of restenosis in femoropopliteal arteries: paclitaxel-coated versus uncoated balloon: femoral paclitaxel randomized pilot trial.

Background: The success of percutaneous intervention in peripheral arterial disease is limited by restenosis. The aim of the present pilot study was to evaluate a novel method of local drug delivery.

Methods And Results: This randomized multicenter study with blinded reading enrolled 87 patients in Rutherford class 1 to 4 with occlusion or hemodynamically relevant stenosis, restenosis, or in-stent restenosis of femoropopliteal arteries.

Concomitant radiochemotherapy with temozolomide in non-selected patients with newly diagnosed high-grade gliomas.

Background: Malignant gliomas still present a medical challenge, despite decades of continuous extensive research with optimization of surgical techniques, radiotherapy and systemic treatments.

Patients And Methods: From 1999 to 2004, 104 patients with WHO grade III and IVgliomas underwent surgery and received concomitant radiotherapy combined with concomitant oral temozolomide. Patients with progressive disease received sequential 5-day cycles of temozolomide at 28-day intervals.

[Severe accidental hypothermia with cardiac arrest and extracorporeal rewarming. A case report of a 2-year-old child].

In patients with severe hypothermia and cardiac arrest, active rewarming is recommended by extracorporeal circulation with cardiopulmonary bypass. The current guidelines for resuscitation of the European Resuscitation Council now include the recommendation regarding patients with hypothermia remaining comatose after initial resuscitation to accomplish an active rewarming only up to a temperature of 32-34 degrees C and to maintain a mild hypothermia for 12-24 h. We report the case of a 2-year-old boy who suffered from severe hypothermia after falling into ice-cold water.

Evaluation of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP) 5b as bone resorption marker in irradiated bone metastases.

Background: The aim of our study was to evaluate if the determination of the active isoform 5b of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP 5b) provides the possibility to monitor the effect of local radiotherapy in bone metastases and if TRACP 5b will predict further osseous progression.

Materials And Methods: In 48 breast cancer patients with bone metastases, patients' characteristics, diagnostic imaging and laboratory investigation, tumor- and therapy-related parameters were registered at the beginning and the end of radiotherapy, as well as 6 and 12 weeks afterwards. TRACP 5b activity was measured using a solid phase immunofixed enzyme activity assay with the monoclonal antibody O1A.

Differential expression of the granzymes A, K and M and perforin in human peripheral blood lymphocytes.

Granzymes (Gzm) are a group of serine proteases which are stored in the granules of cytotoxic lymphocytes. In humans, five granzymes have been characterized to date at the molecular level. While GzmA and GzmB have been extensively studied, little is known about GzmH, GzmK and GzmM.

Salvage radiotherapy in patients with relapsed and refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma: a retrospective analysis from the German Hodgkin Lymphoma Study Group.

Purpose: To evaluate treatment outcome and prognostic factors in patients with refractory or first relapsed Hodgkin's disease (HD) treated with salvage radiotherapy (SRT) alone.

Patients And Methods: From 4,754 patients registered in the database of the German Hodgkin Study Group from 1988 to 1999, 624 patients were identified with progressive disease (n = 202), or with early (n = 170) or late (n = 252) relapsed HD. At first treatment failure, SRT alone was given to 100 patients.

Indexing of Internet resources in order to improve the provision of problem-relevant medical information.

Due to the information overload and the unstructured access to (medical) information of the internet, it isn't hardly possible to find problem-relevant medical information in an appropriate time (e.g. during a consultation).