Improvement in measures of psychological distress amongst amphetamine misusers treated with brief cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT)

This trial of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) based amphetamine abstinence program (n = 507) focused on refusal self-efficacy, improved coping, improved problem solving and planning for relapse prevention. Measures included the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS), the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) and Amphetamine Refusal Self-Efficacy. Psychiatric case identification (caseness) across the four GHQ-28 sub-scales was compared with Australian normative data. Almost 90% were amphetamine-dependent (SDS 8.15 +/- 3.17). Pretreatment, all GHQ-28 sub-scale measures were below reported Australian population values. Caseness was substantially higher than Australian normative values {Somatic Symptoms (52.3%), Anxiety (68%), Social Dysfunction (46.5%) and Depression (33.7%). One hundred and sixty-eight subjects (33%) completed and reported program abstinence. Program completers reported improvement across all GHQ-28 sub-scales Somatic Symptoms (p < 0.001), Anxiety (p < 0.001), Social Dysfunction (p < 0.001) and Depression (p < 0.001)}. They also reported improvement in amphetamine refusal self-efficacy (p < 0.001). Improvement remained significant following intention-to-treat analyses, imputing baseline data for subjects that withdrew from the program. The GHQ-28 sub-scales, Amphetamine Refusal Self-Efficacy Questionnaire and the SDS successfully predicted treatment compliance through a discriminant analysis function (p

The N-15 natural abundance (delta N-15) of ecosystem samples reflects measures of water availability

We assembled a globally-derived data set for site-averaged foliar delta(15)N, the delta(15)N of whole surface mineral soil and corresponding site factors (mean annual rainfall and temperature, latitude, altitude and soil pH). The delta(15)N of whole soil was related to all of the site variables (including foliar delta(15)N) except altitude and, when regressed on latitude and rainfall, provided the best model of these data, accounting for 49% of the variation in whole soil delta(15)N. As single linear regressions, site-averaged foliar delta(15)N was more strongly related to rainfall than was whole soil delta(15)N. A smaller data set showed similar, negative correlations between whole soil delta(15)N, site-averaged foliar delta(15)N and soil moisture variations during a single growing season. The negative correlation between water availability (measured here by rainfall and temperature) and soil or plant delta(15)N fails at the landscape scale, where wet spots are delta(15)N-enriched relative to their drier surroundings. Here we present global and seasonal data, postulate a proximate mechanism for the overall relationship between water availability and ecosystem delta(15)N and, newly, a mechanism accounting for the highly delta(15)N-depleted values found in the foliage and soils of many wet/cold ecosystems. These hypotheses are complemented by documentation of the present gaps in knowledge, suggesting lines of research which will provide new insights into terrestrial N-cycling. Our conclusions are consistent with those of Austin and Vitousek (1998) that foliar (and soil) delta(15)N appear to be related to the residence time of whole ecosystem N.

Clinical measures of obesity and weight loss in men

OBJECTIVES: (?) To determine the relationship between waist circumference and body weight in overweight men both before and after participation in a weight loss program; and (2) to make recommendations for the appropriate use of these measures at various stages of weight toss. DESIGN: Weight and waist circumference measures were taken in two diverse groups of men both before and 1-2y after commencing a men's 'waist loss' program. Regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between weight and waist measures. SUBJECTS: One group of 42 retired Caucasian men from New South Wales, and one group of 45 indigenous men from the Torres Strait region of Northern Australia. RESULTS: There were differences in the relationships of weight and waist circumference before the program and change in weight and change in waist circumference after weight loss. These differences were similar in both groups of men (indigenous men and retired Caucasian men), with a 1 cm waist loss being on average equivalent to about 3/4 kg, but with wide variability, suggesting inter-individual variation in fat losses from different depots. This variation suggests that neither weight nor waist alone is a sufficient measure of fat loss for men. CONCLUSIONS: Weight and waist circumference should both be used at various stages in the clinical situation to assess change in body fat in men involved in obesity reduction.

Detecting insomnia: comparison of four self-report measures of sleep in a young adult population

The sensitivity and specificity of four self-report measures of disordered sleep - the Sleep Impairment Index (SII), the Sleep Disorders Questionnaire (SDQ), the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes About Sleep Scale (DBAS) and the Sleep-Wake Activity Inventory (SWAI) - were compared in subjects with insomnia and normal sleep. Nineteen young adult subjects met DSM-IV criteria for primary insomnia and another 19 were normal control subjects. Discriminatory characteristics of each measure were assessed using receiver operator characteristic curve analyses. Discriminatory power was maximised for each measure to produce cut-scores applicable for identification of individuals with insomnia. The DBAS, SII and SDQ psychiatric DIMS subscale were found to correlate, and discriminated well between the two groups. The SWAI nocturnal sleep subscale was not found to be an accurate discriminator. The results suggest differences in the measures in their ability to detect insomnia, and offer guidelines as to the optimal use of test scores to identify young adults suspected of insomnia.

In situ measures of spawning synchrony and fertilization success in an intertidal, free-spawning invertebrate

The rocky intertidal zone has the potential to be one of the harshest environments for free-spawning organisms, but empirical data on fertilization success are scarce. Here, I report on an intertidal, solitary ascidian, Pyura stolonifera, which was observed to spawn at low tide. At a scale likely to be most important to gametes (metres, duration of tide), approximately 30% of individuals in the population were spawning synchronously. Spawned gametes remained in a viscous matrix and this appeared to minimise their dilution. Fertilization success varied greatly among individuals (0 to 92%) and was related to the distance to the nearest neighbouring spawner. Occasional wave wash facilitated the movement of sperm between spawners. Fertilization success in some individuals was limited by the scarcity of sperm whilst the experimental addition of sperm did not increase success in others.

Homocysteine, Alzheimer genes and proteins, and measures of cognition and depression in older men

The epsilon4 allele of apolipoprotem E (APOE), and the plasma levels of APOE, amyloid beta-protein precursor, arnyloid beta1-40 (Abeta40) and homocysteine, (Hcy) have all been correlated with the presence of dementia. Mutations in the methylnetetrahydrofolate reductase enzyme (MTHFR) have been associated with elevated levels of Hcy. This study explored the association of these factors with cognition and depression in community dwelling older men. Two hundred and ninety-nine men, mean age 78.9 years (SD 2.8), were studied in this cross-sectional survey. Mean plasma Hcy was 13.5 (SD 5.3) mumol/L. The MTHFR genotype had no obvious impact on Hey levels. Ln Hcy and Ln Abeta40 were both inversely correlated with calculated glomerular filtration rate (cGFR), r = -0.41 (p < 0.001) and r = -0.28 (p < 0.001), respectively. There was a positive correlation between Ln Hey and Ln Abeta40, r = 0.19 (p < 0.001), which remained significant after adjusting for cGFR, with a doubling of Hcy associated with a 24% increase of Abeta40. The e4 allele was associated with increased depressive symptoms as measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale-15, Odds ratio (OR) = 2.59 (95% CI 1.06-6.34) and poorer performance on the Clock Drawing Test, OR = 2.32 (95% CI: 1.25-4.29). There was a positive association between Abeta40 and Hcy, even after adjustment for cGFR in this sample of well, community dwelling older men. This association may help elucidate the link between elevated levels of Hey and Alzheimer's disease.

True measures of GDP and convergence

Widely used ''purchasing power parity'' comparisons of per capita GDP are not true quantity indexes and are subject to systematic substitution bins. This bias may distort measurement of convergence and divergence. Extending Varian's nonparametric construction of a true index gives the set of true indexes, including the new Ideal Afriat Index. These indexes are utility-consistent and independent of arbitrary reference price vectors. We establish bounds on the dispersion of true multilateral indexes, hence bounds on convergence. International price indexes understate both true GDP dispersion and, where prices are converging over time, the rate of true quantity convergence.