Psychotropic prescribing patterns among adolescents in Northern Ireland presenting with psychotic symptoms during a 5-year period

Objective: To report new prescriptions of psychotropic medications among adolescents presenting with new onset psychotic symptoms during a 5-year period.
Methods: The Northern Ireland Early Onset Psychosis Study is a naturalistic longitudinal observational study of patients with an early onset first psychotic episode. All patients aged <18 years presenting to specialist mental health services across Northern Ireland with new onset psychotic symptoms between 2001 and 2006 were recruited (n = 113). Clinical case notes were analysed retrospectively for details of subsequent treatment with psychotropic medications.
Results: A total of 100 patients (88.5%) were prescribed some form of psychotropic medication. Over three-quarters of patients received an antipsychotic as their first medication. Risperidone (45.8%), olanzapine (24.0%) and chlorpromazine (12.5%) were the most commonly prescribed first-line antipsychotic medications. Of a total of 160 antipsychotic prescriptions,81 (50.6%) were off-label. Prescriptions were most likely to have been deemed off-label owing to medications not being licensed in under-18s (71.6% of off-label prescriptions) but other reasons were medications being used outsidelicensed age ranges (23.5%) and outside licensed indications (4.9%).
Conclusions: This is the first study examining psychotropic prescribing patterns in a complete sample of all children and adolescents presenting with early onset psychotic episodes in a single geographical area. The observation of risperidoneas the most commonly prescribed antipsychotic was in keeping with previous studies in child and adolescent populations. Rates of off-label prescribing were lower than previously observed although our study was the first to investigateoff-label prescribing solely in children and adolescents presenting with psychotic symptoms.

The paternal genome and the health of the assisted reproductive technology child

As a number of children born by assisted reproductive technology (ART) are increasing each year across the developed world, the health of such offspring is a matter of public concern. Does the integrity of the paternal genome impact on offspring health? In societal terms, as birth rates fall, and the Western population become unsustainable, do the benefits outweigh the costs of creating and providing for this ART conceived sub population? There are little data to date to answer these questions. The long‑term health of such children has largely been ignored, and success measured only by early (pre-birth) outcomes such as embryo quality or pregnancy. However, there are powerful paradigms such as ageing and smoking that give vital clues as to the potential impact of unhealthy spermatozoa on disease risk, mental and physical health, fertility and mortality of these offspring.

Where the Lake Meets the Sea: Strong Reproductive Isolation Is Associated with Adaptive Divergence between Lake Resident and Anadromous Three-Spined Sticklebacks

Contact zones between divergent forms of the same species are often characterised by high levels of phenotypic diversity over small geographic distances. What processes are involved in generating such high phenotypic diversity? One possibility is that introgression and recombination between divergent forms in contact zones results in greater phenotypic and genetic polymorphism. Alternatively, strong reproductive isolation between forms may maintain distinct phenotypes, preventing homogenisation by gene flow. Contact zones between divergent freshwater-resident and anadromous stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus L.) forms are numerous and common throughout the species distribution, offering an opportunity to examine these contrasting hypotheses in greater detail. This study reports on an interesting new contact zone located in a tidally influenced lake catchment in western Ireland, characterised by high polymorphism for lateral plate phenotypes. Using neutral and QTL-linked microsatellite markers, we tested whether the high diversity observed in this contact zone arose as a result of introgression or reproductive isolation between divergent forms: we found strong support for the latter hypothesis. Three phenotypic and genetic clusters were identified, consistent with two divergent resident forms and a distinct anadromous completely plated population that migrates in and out of the system. Given the strong neutral differentiation detected between all three morphotypes (mean FST = 0.12), we hypothesised that divergent selection between forms maintains reproductive isolation. We found a correlation between neutral genetic and adaptive genetic differentiation that support this. While strong associations between QTL linked markers and phenotypes were also observed in this wild population, our results support the suggestion that such associations may be more complex in some Atlantic populations compared to those in the Pacific. These findings provide an important foundation for future work investigating the dynamics of gene flow and adaptive divergence in this newly discovered stickleback contact zone.

Molecular pedigree reconstruction and estimation of evolutionary parameters in a wild Atlantic salmon river system with incomplete sampling: a power analysis

Background: Pedigree reconstruction using genetic analysis provides a useful means to estimate fundamental population biology parameters relating to population demography, trait heritability and individual fitness when combined with other sources of data. However, there remain limitations to pedigree reconstruction in wild populations, particularly in systems where parent-offspring relationships cannot be directly observed, there is incomplete sampling of individuals, or molecular parentage inference relies on low quality DNA from archived material. While much can still be inferred from incomplete or sparse pedigrees, it is crucial to evaluate the quality and power of available genetic information a priori to testing specific biological hypotheses. Here, we used microsatellite markers to reconstruct a multi-generation pedigree of wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) using archived scale samples collected with a total trapping system within a river over a 10 year period. Using a simulation-based approach, we determined the optimal microsatellite marker number for accurate parentage assignment, and evaluated the power of the resulting partial pedigree to investigate important evolutionary and quantitative genetic characteristics of salmon in the system.

Results: We show that at least 20 microsatellites (ave. 12 alleles/locus) are required to maximise parentage assignment and to improve the power to estimate reproductive success and heritability in this study system. We also show that 1.5 fold differences can be detected between groups simulated to have differing reproductive success, and that it is possible to detect moderate heritability values for continuous traits (h(2) similar to 0.40) with more than 80% power when using 28 moderately to highly polymorphic markers.

Conclusion: The methodologies and work flow described provide a robust approach for evaluating archived samples for pedigree-based research, even where only a proportion of the total population is sampled. The results demonstrate the feasibility of pedigree-based studies to address challenging ecological and evolutionary questions in free-living populations, where genealogies can be traced only using molecular tools, and that significant increases in pedigree assignment power can be achieved by using higher numbers of markers.

The Decaying Long-period Oscillation of a Stellar Megaflare

We analyze and interpret the oscillatory signal in the decay phase of the U-band light curve of a stellar megaflare observed on 2009 January 16 on the dM4.5e star YZ CMi. The oscillation is well approximated by an exponentially decaying harmonic function. The period of the oscillation is found to be 32 minutes, the decay time about 46 minutes, and the relative amplitude 15%. As this observational signature is typical of the longitudinal oscillations observed in solar flares at extreme ultraviolet and radio wavelengths, associated with standing slow magnetoacoustic waves, we suggest that this megaflare may be of a similar nature. In this scenario, macroscopic variations of the plasma parameters in the oscillations modulate the ejection of non-thermal electrons. The phase speed of the longitudinal (slow magnetoacoustic) waves in the flaring loop or arcade, the tube speed, of about 230 km s-1 would require a loop length of about 200 Mm. Other mechanisms, such as standing kink oscillations, are also considered.

Microphysiological modeling of the reproductive tract: A fertile endeavor

Preclinical toxicity testing in animal models is a cornerstone of the drug development process, yet it is often unable to predict adverse effects and tolerability issues in human subjects. Species-specific responses to investigational drugs have led researchers to utilize human tissues and cells to better estimate human toxicity. Unfortunately, human cell-derived models are imperfect because toxicity is assessed in isolation, removed from the normal physiologic microenvironment. Microphysiological modeling often referred to as 'organ-on-a-chip' or 'human-on-a-chip' places human tissue into a microfluidic system that mimics the complexity of human in vivo physiology, thereby allowing for toxicity testing on several cell types, tissues, and organs within a more biologically relevant environment. Here we describe important concepts when developing a repro-on-a-chip model. The development of female and male reproductive microfluidic systems is critical to sex-based in vitro toxicity and drug testing. This review addresses the biological and physiological aspects of the male and female reproductive systems in vivo and what should be considered when designing a microphysiological human-on-a-chip model. Additionally, interactions between the reproductive tract and other systems are explored, focusing on the impact of factors and hormones produced by the reproductive tract and disease pathophysiology.

Gait period estimation algorithm based on the angles of extremities

Gait period estimation is an important step in the gait recognition framework. In this paper, we propose a new gait cycle detection method based on the angles of extreme points of both legs. In addition to that, to further improve the estimation of the gait period, the proposed algorithm divides the gait sequence into sections before identifying the maximum values. The proposed algorithm is scale invariant and less dependent on the silhouette shape. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated using the OU-ISIR speed variation gait database. The experimental results show that the proposed method achieved 90.2% gait recognition accuracy and outperforms previous methods found in the literature with the second best only achieved 67.65% accuracy.

The importance of the gestation period for welfare of lambs: Maternal stressors and lamb vigour and wellbeing

The prenatal period is of critical importance in defining how individuals respond to their environment throughout life. Stress experienced by pregnant females has been shown to have detrimental effects on offspring behaviour, health and productivity. The sheep has been used extensively as a model species to inform human studies. However, in the farmed environment, the consequences for the lamb of the imposition of prenatal stresses upon the ewe have received much less attention. The stressors that pregnant ewes are most frequently exposed to include sub-optimal nutrition and those related to housing, husbandry and environment which may be either acute or chronic. A systematic review of the literature was adopted to identify material which had production-relevant maternal stressors and lamb outcomes. The current review focussed upon the lamb up to weaning around the age of 100 days and the results clearly demonstrate that stressors imposed upon the ewe have implications for offspring welfare and performance. Maternal under-nutrition (UN) in the last third of pregnancy consistently impaired lamb birth-weight and subsequent vigour and performance, while earlier UN had a variable effect on performance. Feeding the ewe above requirements did not have positive effects on lamb performance and welfare. Social and husbandry stressors such as transport, shearing, mixing and physiological treatments designed to mimic acute stress which would be considered disadvantageous for the ewe had positive or neutral effects for the lamb, highlighting a potential conflict between the welfare of the ewe and her lamb. This review also identified considerable gaps in knowledge, particularly in respect of the impact of disease upon the ewe during pregnancy and interactions between different stressors and the responses of ewe and lamb.

Board invited review:The importance of the gestation period for welfare of calves: Maternal stressors and difficult births

The prenatal period is of critical importance in defining how individuals respond to their environment throughout life. Stress experienced by pregnant females has been shown to have detrimental effects on offspring biology in humans and a variety of other species. It also is becoming increasingly apparent that prenatal events can have important consequences for the behavior, health, and productivity of offspring in farmed species. Pregnant cattle may experience many potentially important stressors, for instance, relating to their social environment, housing system and physical environment, interactions with humans and husbandry procedures, and their state of health. We examined the available literature to provide a review of the implications of prenatal stress for offspring welfare in cattle. The long-term effects of dystocia on cattle offspring also are reviewed. To ensure a transparent and repeatable selection process, a systematic review approach was adopted. The research literature clearly demonstrates that prenatal stress and difficult births in beef and dairy cattle both have implications for offspring welfare and performance. Common husbandry practices, such as transport, were shown to influence offspring biology and the importance of environmental variables, including thermal stress and drought, also were highlighted. Maternal disease during pregnancy was shown to negatively impact offspring welfare. Moreover, dystocia-affected calves suffer increased mortality and morbidity, decreased transfer of passive immunity, and important physiological and behavioral changes. This review also identified considerable gaps in our knowledge and understanding of the effects of prenatal stress in cattle. © 2012 American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved.

Farm animal welfare:Assessing risks attributable to the prenatal environment

An ever-expanding scientific literature highlights the impact of the prenatal environment on many areas of biology. Across all major farmed species, experimental studies have clearly shown that prenatal experiences can have a substantial impact on outcomes relevant to later health, welfare and productivity. In particular, stress or sub-optimal nutrition experienced by the mother during pregnancy has been shown to have wide-ranging and important effects on how her offspring cope with their social, physical and infectious environment. Variation in the conditions for development provided by the reproductive tract or egg, for instance by altered nutritional supply or hormonal exposure, may therefore explain a large degree of variation in many welfare- and productivity-relevant traits. The scientific literature suggests a number of management practices for pre-birth/hatch individuals that could compromise their later welfare. Such studies may have relevance for the welfare of animals under human care, depending on the extent to which real life conditions involve exposure to these practices. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of extending the focus on animal welfare to include the prenatal period, an aspect which until recently has been largely neglected. © 2012 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare The Old School.

Reproductive success of parasitized males in a marine reef fish

Parasitism is hypothesized to reduce reproductive success in heavily parasitized males because females
may preferentially mate with less parasitized males (parasite-mediated sexual selection) or parasites may compromise
male competitiveness. In marine systems, this hypothesis is largely unexplored. This paper provides the first confirmed record of a copepod ectoparasite (Caligus buechlerae Hewitt 1964) on the common triplefin (Forsterygion lapillum) and evaluates the hypothesis that males parasitized with C. buechlerae experience lower reproductive success than unparasitized males (as determined
by the presence and area of eggs within male nests). We found that 38 % of males we surveyed were infected with
at least one C. buechlerae, with a median of two individuals per infected male. About 32 % of males were defending
eggs, with 62.5 % of those males infected with at least one parasite. Males of greater total length (TL) were both
more likely to be infected and more likely to be defending eggs. However, when statistically accounting for the effects
of TL, parasite infection had no effect on the probability of defending eggs, or the average surface area of eggs when
present. Positive covariation in fish length, the presence of eggs and parasite infection observed here potentially suggest
that the importance of parasitic infection on reproductive success may depend upon the strength of selection for larger male body size. Our study is one of the few studies to investigate the effects of ectoparasites on reproductive success in reef fish and also provides a quantitative measure of infection for a widespread species within New Zealand.

An analysis of Child Care Policy and Practice in Barnardo’s Macedon and Sharonmore residential homes in Northern Ireland during the period 1952 – 1990, the period under investigation by the Inquiry.

Report to examine the nature and extent of any abuse in Barnardo’s Macedon and Sharonmore residential homes in Northern Ireland and to determine whether that abuse was caused or facilitated by failings on the part of Barnardo’s, and whether they were systemic in nature. Abuse and systemic failings as defined in the document published by the Inquiry in June 2013 “Definition of Abuse and Systemic Failings”.