Symptom burden, validity, and cognitive performance in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

INTRODUCTION: The present study evaluates the complex relationships between symptom burden, validity, and cognition in a sample of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to identify key characteristic symptoms and validity measures driving cognitive performance. We hypothesized that symptom and performance validity would account for poorer outcomes on cognitive performance beyond psychological symptoms. METHODS: Veterans (n = 226) completed a cognitive test battery, Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), Word Memory Test (WMT), and Miller Forensic Assessment Symptom Test (M-FAST). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) modeled the fully-adjusted relationships among PAI subscales, validity, and cognitive performance. RESULTS: 23.45% of participants failed validity indices (19.9% WMT; 7.1% M-FAST). PLS-SEM indicated PAI subscales were not directly associated with performance or symptom validity measures, and there were no direct effects between validity performance and cognitive performance. Several PAI subscales were directly associated with measures of verbal abstraction, visual processing, and verbal learning and memory. CONCLUSION: Contrary to hypotheses, symptom and performance validity did not account for poorer outcomes on cognitive performance beyond symptom burden in the PLS-SEM model. Results highlight the association between psychiatric symptoms and cognitive performance beyond validity status.

The Syrian Golden Hamster Estrous Cycle: Unique Characteristics, Visual Guide to Staging, and Comparison with the Rat.

The Syrian hamster, Mesocricetus auratus, is a suitable rodent species for standard regulatory toxicity studies. However, little is published about the female Syrian hamster reproductive system. It has unique anatomic features that differ from the other rodent species. In the hamster, the upper cervix is composed of 2 canals and the vagina shows 2 lateral pouches where keratin debris accumulates. These pouches must be distinguished from the vagina in order to stage the estrous cycle properly. The microscopic changes occurring during all the estrous cycle stages show some differences with the other rodents, the lower cervix and upper vagina presenting the more dramatic changes. The aim of this work was to produce a practical guide to staging the cycle and to highlight some of the differences between the rat and hamster reproductive system.

Examining the factor structure of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) in a post-9/11 U.S. military veteran sample.

The present study examined the structural validity of the 25-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) in a large sample of U.S. veterans with military service since September 11, 2001. Participants (N = 1,981) completed the 25-item CD-RISC, a structured clinical interview and a self-report questionnaire assessing psychiatric symptoms. The study sample was randomly divided into two subsamples: an initial sample (Sample 1: n = 990) and a replication sample (Sample 2: n = 991). Findings derived from exploratory factor analysis (EFA) did not support the five-factor analytic structure as initially suggested in Connor and Davidson's instrument validation study. Although parallel analyses indicated a two-factor structural model, we tested one to six factor solutions for best model fit using confirmatory factor analysis. Results supported a two-factor model of resilience, composed of adaptability- (8 items) and self-efficacy-themed (6 items) items; however, only the adaptability-themed factor was found to be consistent with our view of resilience-a factor of protection against the development of psychopathology following trauma exposure. The adaptability-themed factor may be a useful measure of resilience for post-9/11 U.S. military veterans.

Estrous cycle-dependent histology and review of sex steroid receptor expression in dog reproductive tissues and mammary gland and associated hormone levels.

This report describes normal histology of tissues from immature female dogs and sequential microscopic changes that occur during different stages of the estrous cycle in ovary, uterus, vagina and mammary glands. These observations are associated with a literature review of concurrent estrous cycle plasma hormone levels and expression of sex steroid receptors in these tissues. The combined review of different aspects of the estrous cycle in the dog provides readers with a comprehensive presentation and may guide investigators that are involved in testing compounds with hormonal effects in female dogs.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for adolescents with binge eating syndromes: a case series.

OBJECTIVE: Published empirically based studies of psychotherapies for bulimia nervosa (BN) have been conducted solely with adult populations. The current study extends the extant literature by piloting a version of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for BN adapted for an adolescent population. METHOD: The participants were referred for treatment for binge eating and purging behaviors at a university clinic. Patients received pretreatment and posttreatment interviews assessing the frequency of their binge eating and purge behaviors, and they also completed pretreatment and posttreatment assessments with the Eating Disorders Examination (EDE). RESULTS: Results indicated significant reductions in the frequency of binge eating from pretreatment to posttreatment. Furthermore, all subscale scores of the EDE showed significant declines from pretreatment to posttreatment. CONCLUSION: The authors concluded that CBT adapted for adolescents with bulimic symptoms appears to be a promising intervention worthy of further study in adolescents.