Genetic Variation in the alpha 7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor is Associated with Delusional Symptoms in Alzheimer's Disease

Psychotic symptoms are common in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and have a negative impact oil quality of life. It is suggested that psychotic symptoms may be attributed to genetic risk factors which are revealed during neurodegeneration. CHRNA7, the gene for the alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, has been associated with schizophrenia in linkage and association Studies. Hence we investigated single SNPs and haplotypes in CHRNA7 in relation to AD with psychosis in a large, well-characterised and previously described cohort within the Northern Ireland population. A significant association between delusions and the T allele of rs6494223 (P = 0.014, OR = 1.63, Cl 1.22-2.17) was found. This suggests that the alpha 7 receptor may be a suitable target for the treatment of AD with psychosis.

Medium as message: Making an 'emancipating' film on mental health and distress

This article will be a reflective report, made by participants, facilitators and tutors on the first stage of a project entitled ‘Mentalentity’ which, had as it brief, the promotion of positive attitudes to mental health among men in rural areas. The arts ‘product’ is a 25 minute film made by a group of men in South Armagh using an action learning and action research approach.. The project is a paradigm of ‘action research’ using arts based methods also in that none of the men had ever been involved in filmmaking and had to learn a wide range of skills to convert the knowledge they were reflecting on into an arts product; avoiding the sensationalising of a very complex subject and, equally, the earnestness sometimes associated with ‘awareness raising’ projects. The project is funded by a statutory agency, the Southern Investing for Health Partnership, and is being implemented by two voluntary groups, Men Aware (South Armagh) and a pan-disability group, Out and About, working with Queen’s University, School of Education, Open Learning Programme, which facilitated and accredited the project and the Nerve Centre, an internationally renowned independent arts organisation which specialises in music, multimedia, and the moving image. The article will relate the project to a range of arts based projects undertaken by the contributors and will contextualize this work within the research in such fields as inclusive participative and emancipatory research, qualitative research methodologies, active learning pedagogy, arts based pedagogy, Social/ Relational model disability and cutting edge ‘psychosocial’ models in mental health.

Do changes in illness perceptions predict changes in psychological distress among oesophageal cancer survivors?

This study aimed to examine whether changes in the illness perceptions of oesophageal cancer survivors explain changes in their levels of psychological distress relative to demographic and biomedical variables and coping strategies. Oesophageal cancer survivors completed the Illness Perception Questionnaire — Revised, the Cancer Coping Questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale at two points in time, 12 months apart. Cluster analysis was used to identify groups of respondents who reported a similar profile of change in their illness perception scores over time. Findings suggested that enhancing control cognitions and encouraging a positive focus coping strategy may be important in improving psychological health.

Elucidating the molecular physiopathology of acute respiratory distress syndrome in severe acute respiratory syndrome patients

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a severe form of acute lung injury. It is a response to various diseases of variable etiology, including SARS-CoV infection. To date, a comprehensive study of the genomic physiopathology of ARDS (and SARS) is lacking, primarily due to the difficulty of finding suitable materials to study the disease process at a tissue level (instead of blood, sputa or swaps). Hereby we attempt to provide such study by analyzing autopsy lung samples from patient who died of SARS and showed different degrees of severity of the pulmonary involvement. We performed real-time quantitative PCR analysis of 107 genes with functional roles in inflammation, coagulation, fibrosis and apoptosis: some key genes were confirmed at a protein expression level by immunohistochemistry and correlated to the degree of morphological severity present in the individual samples analyzed. Significant expression levels were identified for ANPEP (a receptor for CoV), as well as inhibition of the STAT1 pathway, IFNs production and CXCL10 (a T-cell recruiter). Other genes unassociated to date with ARDS/SARS include C1Qb, C5R1, CASP3, CASP9, CD14, CD68, FGF7, HLA-DRA, ICF1, IRF3, MALAT-1, MSR1, NFIL3, SLPI, USP33, CLC, GBP1 and TACI. As a result, we proposed to therapeutically target some of these genes with compounds such as ANPEP inhibitors, SLPI and dexamethasone. Ultimately, this study may serve as a model for future, tissue-based analyses of fibroinflammatory conditions affecting the lung. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exploring the impact of depressive symptoms and medication beliefs on medication adherence in hypertension-A primary care study

Objective: This Study aimed to assess the levels of adherence in a sample of hypertensive patients being cared for in primary care in Northern Ireland and to explore the impact of depressive symptoms and medication beliefs on medication adherence.

Psychological distress among survivors of esophageal cancer: the role of illness cognitions and coping

Leventhal's common sense model has provided a useful framework for explaining psychological distress in several chronic illnesses. The model indicates that a person's perception of their illness and their coping strategies are the key determinants of their experience of psychological distress. The present research examines whether illness perceptions and coping strategies are related to levels of psychological distress among survivors of esophageal cancer. Everyone registered with the Oesophageal Patients' Association in the UK was mailed a questionnaire booklet, which included the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised, the Cancer Coping Questionnaire, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Complete responses were received from 484 people. Regression models indicated that the variables measured could explain 51% of the variance in anxiety and 42% of the variance in depression. Perceptions of esophageal cancer explained the majority of this variance. Positive focus coping strategies were also found to be important in explaining psychological distress. The results of this study are consistent with previous research demonstrating that illness perceptions are stronger correlates of adaptive outcomes than coping strategies. The findings suggest that cognition-based interventions could potentially be most effective in minimizing emotional distress among survivors of esophageal cancer.

Massage for symptom relief in patients with cancer: systematic review

Aim. This paper is a report of a review to assess evidence of the effectiveness of massage for patients with cancer, in terms of reducing physical or psychological symptoms, improving quality of life, or producing unwanted side effects. Background. Patients with cancer may use complementary therapies, including massage and aromatherapy massage. However, their use and provision by state-financed healthcare services is controversial. Data sources. A systematic review was carried out, using the Cochrane principles. No meta-analysis was appropriate. An initial comprehensive search of electronic databases search was carried out in 2003 and updated in 2006. Eligible trials were randomized controlled trials, controlled before-and-after (pre-post) studies and interrupted time-series studies. Participants were adults with a diagnosis of cancer and receiving care in any healthcare setting. Interventions were limited to massage and/or aromatherapy massage carried out by a qualified therapist. Outcome measures to be included were patient-reported levels of physical and psychological indices of symptom distress and quality of life (measured using validated assessment tools). Findings. In the review, 1325 papers were considered. Ten trials met the inclusion criteria and their results suggest that massage might reduce anxiety in patients with cancer in the short term and may have a beneficial effect on physical symptoms of cancer, such as pain and nausea. However, the lack of rigorous research evidence precludes drawing definitive conclusions. Conclusion. Further well-designed large trials with longer follow-up periods are needed to be able to draw firm conclusions about the efficacy and effectiveness of massage for cancer patients. © 2008 The Authors