Sleep disturbance and its daytime sequelae, which comprise complex, transdiagnostic sleep problems, are pervasive problems in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) and are associated with negative ...outcomes. Effective interventions must be both evidence based and individually tailored. Some AYAs prefer self-management and digital approaches. Leveraging these preferences is helpful, given the dearth of AYA treatment providers trained in behavioral sleep medicine. We involved AYAs in the co-design of a behavioral, self-management, transdiagnostic sleep app called DOZE (Delivering Online Zzz's with Empirical Support).
This study tests the feasibility and acceptability of DOZE in a community AYA sample aged 15-24 years. The secondary objective is to evaluate sleep and related outcomes in this nonclinical sample.
Participants used DOZE for 4 weeks (2 periods of 2 weeks). They completed sleep diaries, received feedback on their sleep, set goals in identified target areas, and accessed tips to help them achieve their goals. Measures of acceptability and credibility were completed at baseline and end point. Google Analytics was used to understand the patterns of app use to assess feasibility. Participants completed questionnaires assessing fatigue, sleepiness, chronotype, depression, anxiety, and quality of life at baseline and end point.
In total, 83 participants created a DOZE account, and 51 completed the study. During the study, 2659 app sessions took place with an average duration of 3:02 minutes. AYAs tracked most days in period 1 (mean 10.52, SD 4.87) and period 2 (mean 9.81, SD 6.65), with a modal time of 9 AM (within 2 hours of waking). DOZE was appraised as highly acceptable (mode≥4) on the items "easy to use," "easy to understand," "time commitment," and "overall satisfaction" and was rated as credible (mode≥4) at baseline and end point across all items (logic, confident it would work, confident recommending it to a friend, willingness to undergo, and perceived success in treating others). The most common goals set were decreasing schedule variability (34/83, 41% of participants), naps (17/83, 20%), and morning lingering in bed (16/83, 19%). AYAs accessed tips on difficulty winding down (24/83, 29% of participants), being a night owl (17/83, 20%), difficulty getting up (13/83, 16%), and fatigue (13/83, 16%). There were significant improvements in morning lingering in bed (P=.03); total wake time (P=.02); sleep efficiency (P=.002); total sleep time (P=.03); and self-reported insomnia severity (P=.001), anxiety (P=.002), depression (P=.004), and energy (P=.01).
Our results support the feasibility, acceptability, credibility, and preliminary efficacy of DOZE. AYAs are able to set and achieve goals based on tailored feedback on their sleep habits, which is consistent with research suggesting that AYAs prefer autonomy in their health care choices and produce good results when given tools that support their autonomy.
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03960294; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03960294.
To our knowledge, no study has previously evaluated whether individuals with bipolar depression enriched a priori on the basis of biochemical and/or phenotypic immuno-inflammatory activation would ...differentially respond to an anti-inflammatory agent for the treatment of depressive symptoms.
To assess the antidepressant efficacy of adjunctive infliximab, a monoclonal antibody targeting tumor necrosis factor, in adults with bipolar I and bipolar II depression and inflammatory conditions.
This 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial of 60 participants was conducted at 2 outpatient tertiary care sites in Canada and the United States. Eligible adults (aged 18-65 years) met DSM-5-defined criteria for bipolar I or bipolar II depression and exhibited pretreatment biochemical and/or phenotypic evidence of inflammatory activation. Participants were enrolled between October 1, 2015, and April 30, 2018. Data analysis was performed from May 1 through July 31, 2018, using modified intent-to-treat analysis.
Patients were randomized to receive 3 intravenous infusions of infliximab therapy or placebo at baseline and at weeks 2 and 6 of the 12-week study.
The primary efficacy outcome was baseline-to-end point (ie, week-12) change in Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score. History of childhood maltreatment, as assessed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, was used for exploratory analyses as 1 of several secondary outcomes.
A total of 60 participants were randomized to infliximab (n = 29 48%; mean SD age, 45.0 11.7 years; 20 of 28 female 71%) or to placebo (n = 31 52%; mean SD age, 46.8 10.2 years; 26 of 30 female 87%) across study sites. Overall baseline-to-end point change in MADRS total score was observed across treatment × time interaction (χ2 = 10.33; P = .04); reduction in symptom severity was not significant at week 12 (relative risk, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.80-1.50; df = 1; P = .60). As part of a secondary analysis, a significant treatment × time × childhood maltreatment interaction was observed in which infliximab-treated individuals with childhood history of physical abuse exhibited greater reductions in MADRS total score (χ2 = 12.20; P = .02) and higher response rates (≥50% reduction in MADRS total score) (χ2 = 4.05; P = .04).
Infliximab did not significantly reduce depressive symptoms compared with placebo in adults with bipolar depression. Results from secondary analyses identified a subpopulation (ie, those reporting physical and/or sexual abuse) that exhibited a significant reduction in depressive symptoms with infliximab treatment compared with placebo.
ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02363738.
Petunia, a commercially important ornamental plant worldwide, has been subjected to breeding programs that have yielded a high number of varieties. One of the key factors in the commercial value of ...these varieties is plant compactness. Currently, compact petunias are obtained through the application of expensive, harmful and short-lasting chemicals. To avoid the use of these chemicals, transgenic plants that over-express dwarf-inducing genes have been recently proposed as an alternative, but the current legislation regarding transgenic plants restricts their commercialization. In this work, we studied the effect of polyploidization in the plant architecture of
Petunia axillaris
, an Argentine native petunia. We developed a new polyploidization protocol that consisted in culturing petunia leaves in RL medium (MS medium supplemented with 30 g l
−1
sucrose, 1 mg l
−1
BA and 0.2 mg l
−1
IAA) supplemented with 0.2 g l
−1
colchicine for 15 days. This protocol allowed the regeneration of stable autotetraploid petunias (polyploidization rate: 29.0 ± 8,2%), which were 54% more compact than the diploid ones. Furthermore, they exhibited no variations in agronomical traits compared to the initial genotypes, except for a short delay in blooming. These autotetraploid plants can be used in different breeding programs and the polyploidization method developed can be tested in others cultivars of the genus
Petunia
for the same purpose.
This study describes the effects of an 8-week course in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR; J. Kabat-Zinn, 1982, 1990) on affective symptoms (depression and anxiety), dysfunctional attitudes, ...and rumination. Given the focus of mindfulness meditation (MM) in modifying cognitive processes, it was hypothesized that the primary change in MM practice involves reductions in ruminative tendencies. We studied a sample of individuals with lifetime mood disorders who were assessed prior to and upon completion of an MBSR course. We also compared a waitlist sample matched with a subset of the MBSR completers. Overall, the results suggest that MM practice primarily leads to decreases in ruminative thinking, even after controlling for reductions in affective symptoms and dysfunctional beliefs.
► We studied the properties of grape marc compost as substrate for seedlings. ► Compost showed no phytotoxicity, nitrogen immobilization or chemical limitations. ► Physical characterization showed ...problems: low easily available water content. ► Physical limitations can be avoided by blending with peat and by managing irrigation. ► Grape marc compost mixed with peat produces good results as a substrate for seedlings.
An experiment was conducted to study the potential of compost made from dealcoholised grapevine marc and grape stalk (GM) as growing medium component in plug seedlings production of lettuce, tomato, pepper and melon. Four media were prepared: GM, a commercial peatmoss-based plug medium (Pt), used as control, and two GM+Pt mixtures (1:1 and 1:2, v:v). Their physico-chemical characteristics were analysed, and bioassays were carried out for the detection of their phytotoxicity and nitrogen drawdown index (NDI). Seedlings grown in a greenhouse in Seville, during spring 2007, were irrigated 5 days a week with a Hoagland solution. Each species was arranged in a randomised block design with four replications. Substrates showed no phytotoxicity or nitrogen immobilisation. Physical characteristics of GM suggested some limitations for use as growing medium in plug seedlings production (total available water content of 12.7% in GM and 25.9% in Pt), although it can be avoided by blending with other substrates and by managing irrigation. At the time of transplant lettuce seedlings showed only differences in green colour intensity measured by SPAD, which was higher in GM (20.3) that in Pt (18.7). Seedling height of pepper, melon and tomato grown in GM was on average 30% lower than that achieved in Pt. The height increased as the proportion of Pt in the substrates did so. There were also differences in dry weight and root neck diameter in tomato and melon that were lower in GM than in Pt. Both parameters improved with the proportion of Pt in the mixtures. Plants analyses showed significant differences that did vary depending on the species and the treatment, and they suggest nutrient imbalances in seedlings. These results would indicate that, under a correct irrigation and fertilisation management, GM and GM+Pt blending could be used successfully as medium component for plug production of vegetable seedlings.
Estimar el ángulo de fricción efectivo del suelo a partir de ensayos in situ es una tarea complicada debido a las altas tasas de deformación existentes en este tipo de ensayos, que tienden a ser ...demasiado invasivos y perturban las vecindades de la profundidad del ensayo y aún la muestra que eventualmente se toma en el sitio. Así mismo, la mayoría de correlaciones encontradas en la literatura actual, para obtener el ángulo de fricción efectivo, usando ensayos de campo han sido desarrolladas para suelos de otras latitudes, por tal razón al ser implementadas en suelos tropicales presentan alta dispersión, cuando se desea comparar los valores de parámetros de campo, con los resultados reales obtenidos en el laboratorio. Esta investigación busca mediante el uso de ensayos in situ, definir por medio de análisis de diferentes correlaciones, cuál de estas se ajusta mejor a las condiciones propias de suelos del piedemonte de la ciudad de Bogotá, la cual se considera la problemática primordial a resolver en el artículo. Para el presente estudio serán utilizados datos provenientes del SPT - Standard Penetration Test (de amplio uso en Colombia) y SPT-T Standard Penetration Test + Torque (nunca antes llevado a cabo en el país), realizados teniendo en cuenta la normativa acorde para cada ensayo. Considerando que para el SPT-T no existe norma local que rija este tipo de ensayos. Las correcciones por procedimientos de campo de los ensayos que se implementaron fueron realizadas por confinamiento efectivo y transferencia de energía del martillo golpeador, ya que en el estado del arte del tema son definidos como los que influyen de manera directa en la confiabilidad de los resultados. Los resultados finales muestran la tendencia de cada una de las metodologías usadas para obtener la correlación, en relación con el valor real del ángulo de fricción efectivo, obtenido de ensayos de laboratorio.
Microalgae are used to produce renewable biofuels (biodiesel, bioethanol, biogas, and biohydrogen) and high-value-added products, as well as in bioremediation and CO2 sequestration tasks. In the case ...of anaerobic digestion of microalgae, biogas can be produced from mainly proteins and carbohydrates. Anaerobic digestion is a complex process that involves several stages and is susceptible to operational instability due to various factors. Robust controllers with simple structure and design are necessary for practical implementation purposes and to achieve a proper process operation despite process variabilities, uncertainties, and complex interactions. This paper presents the application of a control design based on the modeling error compensation technique for the anaerobic digestion of microalgae. The control design departs from a low-order input–output model by enhancement with uncertainty estimation. The results show that achieving desired organic pollution levels and methanogenic biomass concentrations as well as minimizing the effect of external perturbations on a benchmark case study of the anaerobic digestion of microalgae is possible with the proposed control design.
Recent studies have shown that antipsychotic drugs have epigenetic effects. However, the effects of antipsychotic drugs on histone modification remain unclear. Therefore, we investigated the effects ...of antipsychotic drugs on the epigenetic modification of the BDNF gene in the rat hippocampus. Rats were subjected to chronic restraint stress (6 h/d for 21 d) and then were administered with either olanzapine (2 mg/kg) or haloperidol (1 mg/kg). The levels of histone H3 acetylation and MeCP2 binding at BDNF promoter IV were assessed with chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. The mRNA levels of total BDNF with exon IV, HDAC5, DNMT1, and DNMT3a were assessed with a quantitative RT-PCR procedure. Chronic restraint stress resulted in the downregulation of total and exon IV BDNF mRNA levels and a decrease in histone H3 acetylation and an increase in MeCP2 binding at BDNF promoter IV. Furthermore, there were robust increases in the expression of HDAC5 and DNMTs. Olanzapine administration largely prevented these changes. The administration of haloperidol had no effect. These findings suggest that the antipsychotic drug olanzapine induced histone modification of BDNF gene expression in the hippocampus and that these epigenetic alterations may represent one of the mechanisms underlying the actions of antipsychotic drugs.
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