UK guidance on the initial evaluation of an infant or an adolescent with a suspected disorder of sex development

It is paramount that any child or adolescent with a suspected disorder of sex development (DSD) is assessed by an experienced clinician with adequate knowledge about the range of conditions associated with DSD. If there is any doubt, the case should be discussed with the regional team. In most cases, particularly in the case of the newborn, the paediatric endocrinologist within the regional DSD team acts as the first point of contact. The underlying pathophysiology of DSD and the strengths and weaknesses of the tests that can be performed should be discussed with the parents and affected young person and tests undertaken in a timely fashion. This clinician should be part of a multidisciplinary team experienced in management of DSD and should ensure that the affected person and parents are as fully informed as possible and have access to specialist psychological support. Finally, in the field of rare conditions, it is imperative that the clinician shares the experience with others through national and international clinical and research collaboration. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Statistical analysis of synthetic earthquake catalogs generated by models with various levels of fault zone disorder

The stress release model, a stochastic version of the elastic rebound theory, is applied to the large events from four synthetic earthquake catalogs generated by models with various levels of disorder in distribution of fault zone strength (Ben-Zion, 1996) They include models with uniform properties (U), a Parkfield-type asperity (A), fractal brittle properties (F), and multi-size-scale heterogeneities (M). The results show that the degree of regularity or predictability in the assumed fault properties, based on both the Akaike information criterion and simulations, follows the order U, F, A, and M, which is in good agreement with that obtained by pattern recognition techniques applied to the full set of synthetic data. Data simulated from the best fitting stress release models reproduce, both visually and in distributional terms, the main features of the original catalogs. The differences in character and the quality of prediction between the four cases are shown to be dependent on two main aspects: the parameter controlling the sensitivity to departures from the mean stress level and the frequency-magnitude distribution, which differs substantially between the four cases. In particular, it is shown that the predictability of the data is strongly affected by the form of frequency-magnitude distribution, being greatly reduced if a pure Gutenburg-Richter form is assumed to hold out to high magnitudes.

Increased opioid dependence in a mouse model of panic disorder

[EN] Panic disorder is a highly prevalent neuropsychiatric disorder that shows co-occurrence with substance abuse. Here, we demonstrate that TrkC, the high-affinity receptor for neurotrophin-3, is a key molecule involved in panic disorder and opiate dependence, using a transgenic mouse model (TgNTRK3). Constitutive TrkC overexpression in TgNTRK3 mice dramatically alters spontaneous firing rates of locus coeruleus (LC) neurons and the response of the noradrenergic system to chronic opiate exposure, possibly related to the altered regulation of neurotrophic peptides observed. Notably, TgNTRK3 LC neurons showed an increased firing rate in saline-treated conditions and profound abnormalities in their response to met5-enkephalin. Behaviorally, chronic morphine administration induced a significantly increased withdrawal syndrome in TgNTRK3 mice. In conclusion, we show here that the NT-3/TrkC system is an important regulator of neuronal firing in LC and could contribute to the adaptations of the noradrenergic system in response to chronic opiate exposure. Moreover, our results indicate that TrkC is involved in the molecular and cellular changes in noradrenergic neurons underlying both panic attacks and opiate dependence and support a functional endogenous opioid deficit in panic disorder patients.

The effects of disorder in dimerized quantum magnets in mean field approximations

15 p.

Displacive To Order-Disorder Two-Step Phase Transition Model For Para-Ferroelectric Transition

Two-step phase transition model, displacive to order-disorder, is proposed. The driving forces for these two transitions are fundamentally different. The displacive phase transition is one type of the structural phase transitions. We clearly define the structural phase transition as the symmetry broking of the unit cell and the electric dipole starts to form in the unit cell. Then the dipole-dipole interaction takes place as soon as the dipoles in unit cells are formed. We believe that the dipole-dipole interaction may cause an order-disorder phase transition following the displacive phase transition. Both structural and order-disorder phase transition can be first-order or second-order or in between. We found that the structural transition temperatures can be lower or equal or higher than the order-disorder transition temperature. The para-ferroelectric phase transition is the combination of the displacive and order-disorder phase transitions. It generates a variety of transition configurations along with confusions. In this paper, we discuss all these configurations using our displacive to order-disorder two-step phase transition model and clarified all the confusions.

A generalized treatment of the order-disorder transformation in alloys and its effects on their magnetic properties

A theory of the order-disorder transformation is developed in complete generality. The general theory is used to calculate long range order parameters, short range order parameters, energy, and phase diagrams for a face centered cubic binary alloy. The theoretical results are compared to the experimental determination of the copper-gold system, Values for the two adjustable parameters are obtained.

An explanation for the behavior of magnetic alloys is developed, Curie temperatures and magnetic moments of the first transition series elements and their alloys in both the ordered and disordered states are predicted. Experimental agreement is excellent in most cases. It is predicted that the state of order can effect the magnetic properties of an alloy to a considerable extent in alloys such as Ni₃Mn. The values of the adjustable parameter used to fix the level of the Curie temperature, and the adjustable parameter that expresses the effect of ordering on the Curie temperature are obtained.

Effect of the A cation size disorder and synthesis conditions on the properties of an iron perovskite series

Póster presentado en The Energy and Materials Research Conference - EMR2015 celebrado en Madrid (España) entre el 25-27 de febrero de 2015

Bipolar disorder comorbid with alcohol use disorder: Focus on neurocognitive correlates

Bipolar disorder (BD) and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are usually comorbid, and both have been associated with significant neurocognitive impairment. Patients with the BD-AUD comorbidity (dual diagnosis) may have more severe neurocognitive deficits than those with a single diagnosis, but there is paucity of research in this area. To explore this hypothesis more thoroughly, we carried out a systematic literature review through January 2015. Eight studies have examined the effect of AUDs on the neurocognitive functioning of BD patients. Most studies found that BD patients with current or past history of comorbid AUDs show more severe impairments, especially in verbal memory and executive cognition, than their non-dual counterparts. Greater neurocognitive dysfunction is another facet of this severe comorbid presentation. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed. Specifically, the application of holistic approaches, such as clinical staging and systems biology, may open new avenues of discoveries related to the BD-AUD comorbidity.

Efficacy of a cognitive and behavioural psychotherapy applied by primary care psychologists in patients with mixed anxiety-depressive disorder: a research protocol

Background: In contrast with the recommendations of clinical practice guidelines, the most common treatment for anxiety and depressive disorders in primary care is pharmacological. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioural psychological intervention, delivered by primary care psychologists in patients with mixed anxiety-depressive disorder compared to usual care. Methods/Design: This is an open-label, multicentre, randomized, and controlled study with two parallel groups. A random sample of 246 patients will be recruited with mild-to-moderate mixed anxiety-depressive disorder, from the target population on the lists of 41 primary care doctors. Patients will be randomly assigned to the intervention group, who will receive standardised cognitive-behavioural therapy delivered by psychologists together with usual care, or to a control group, who will receive usual care alone. The cognitive-behavioural therapy intervention is composed of eight individual 60-minute face-to face sessions conducted in eight consecutive weeks. A follow-up session will be conducted over the telephone, for reinforcement or referral as appropriate, 6 months after the intervention, as required. The primary outcome variable will be the change in scores on the Short Form-36 General Health Survey. We will also measure the change in the frequency and intensity of anxiety symptoms (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory) at baseline, and 3, 6 and 12 months later. Additionally, we will collect information on the use of drugs and health care services. Discussion: The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of a primary care-based cognitive-behavioural psychological intervention in patients with mixed anxiety-depressive disorder. The international scientific evidence has demonstrated the need for psychologists in primary care. However, given the differences between health policies and health services, it is important to test the effect of these psychological interventions in our geographical setting.

Response of the topological surface state to surface disorder in TlBiSe2

Through a combination of experimental techniques we show that the topmost layer of the topological insulator TlBiSe2 as prepared by cleavage is formed by irregularly shaped Tl islands at cryogenic temperatures and by mobile Tl atoms at room temperature. No trivial surface states are observed in photoemission at low temperatures, which suggests that these islands cannot be regarded as a clear surface termination. The topological surface state is, however, clearly resolved in photoemission experiments. This is interpreted as direct evidence of its topological self-protection and shows the robust nature of the Dirac cone-like surface state. Our results can also help explain the apparent mass acquisition in S-doped TlBiSe2.