Promotion of mental health in young adults via mobile phone app: study protocol of the ECoWeB (emotional competence for well-being in Young adults) cohort multiple randomised trials.

BACKGROUND: Promoting well-being and preventing poor mental health in young people is a major global priority. Building emotional competence (EC) skills via a mobile app may be an effective, scalable and acceptable way to do this. However, few large-scale controlled trials have examined the efficacy of mobile apps in promoting mental health in young people; none have tailored the app to individual profiles. METHOD/DESIGN: The Emotional Competence for Well-Being in Young Adults cohort multiple randomised controlled trial (cmRCT) involves a longitudinal prospective cohort to examine well-being, mental health and EC in 16-22 year olds across 12 months. Within the cohort, eligible participants are entered to either the PREVENT trial (if selected EC scores at baseline within worst-performing quartile) or to the PROMOTE trial (if selected EC scores not within worst-performing quartile). In both trials, participants are randomised (i) to continue with usual practice, repeated assessments and a self-monitoring app; (ii) to additionally receive generic cognitive-behavioural therapy self-help in app; (iii) to additionally receive personalised EC self-help in app. In total, 2142 participants aged 16 to 22 years, with no current or past history of major depression, bipolar disorder or psychosis will be recruited across UK, Germany, Spain, and Belgium. Assessments take place at baseline (pre-randomisation), 1, 3 and 12 months post-randomisation. Primary endpoint and outcome for PREVENT is level of depression symptoms on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 at 3 months; primary endpoint and outcome for PROMOTE is emotional well-being assessed on the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale at 3 months. Depressive symptoms, anxiety, well-being, health-related quality of life, functioning and cost-effectiveness are secondary outcomes. Compliance, adverse events and potentially mediating variables will be carefully monitored. CONCLUSIONS: The trial aims to provide a better understanding of the causal role of learning EC skills using interventions delivered via mobile phone apps with respect to promoting well-being and preventing poor mental health in young people. This knowledge will be used to develop and disseminate innovative evidence-based, feasible, and effective Mobile-health public health strategies for preventing poor mental health and promoting well-being. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov ( www.clinicaltrials.org ). Number of identification: NCT04148508 November 2019.

Mechanisms of NO/cGMP-dependent vasorelaxation.

Both cGMP-dependent and -independent mechanisms have been implicated in the regulation of vascular tone by NO. We analyzed acetylcholine (ACh)- and NO-induced relaxation in pressurized small arteries and aortic rings from wild-type (wt) and cGMP kinase I-deficient (cGKI(-/-)) mice. Low concentrations of NO and ACh decreased the spontaneous myogenic tone in wt but not in cGKI(-/-) arteries. However, contractions of cGKI(-/-) arteries and aortic rings were reduced by high concentrations (10 micromol/L) of 2-(N:, N-diethylamino)-diazenolate-2-oxide (DEA-NO). Iberiotoxin, a specific blocker of Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BK(Ca)) channels, only partially prevented the relaxation induced by DEA-NO or ACh in pressurized vessels and aortic rings. DEA-NO increased the activity of BK(Ca) channels only in vascular smooth muscle cells isolated from wt cGKI(+/+) mice. These results suggest that low physiological concentrations of NO decrease vascular tone through activation of cGKI, whereas high concentrations of DEA-NO relax vascular smooth muscle independent of cGKI and BK(Ca). NO-stimulated, cGKI-independent relaxation was antagonized by the inhibition of soluble guanylyl cyclase or cAMP kinase (cAK). DEA-NO increased cGMP to levels that are sufficient to activate cAK. cAMP-dependent relaxation was unperturbed in cGKI(-/-) vessels. In conclusion, low concentrations of NO relax vessels by activation of cGKI, whereas in the absence of cGKI, NO can relax small and large vessels by cGMP-dependent activation of cAK.

G(alpha)q-deficient mice lack metabotropic glutamate receptor-dependent long-term depression but show normal long-term potentiation in the hippocampal CA1 region.

Long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD) are potential cellular mechanisms involved in learning and memory. Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR), which are linked to heterotrimeric G-proteins of the G(q) family (G(q) and G(11)), have been reported to facilitate both hippocampal LTP and LTD. To evaluate their functional role in synaptic plasticity, we studied LTD and LTP in the CA1 region of the hippocampus from wild-type, Galpha(q)(-/-), and Galpha(11)(-/-) mice. Basic parameters of the synaptic transmission were not altered in Galpha(q)(-/-) and Galpha(11)(-/-) mice. Moreover, these mice showed normal LTP in response to a strong tetanus and to a weak tetanus. However, LTD induced either by a group I mGluRs agonist or by paired-pulse low-frequency stimulation (PP-LFS) was absent in Galpha(q)(-/-) mice. Moreover, PP-LFS caused potentiation of the synaptic transmission in these mice that was not affected by the NMDAR antagonist AP-5. These results show that G(q) plays a crucial role in the mGluR-dependent LTD, whereas hippocampal LTP is not affected by the lack of a single member of the G(q) family.

Serological evidence of an Australian bovine lentivirus.

Recombinant 26 kDa capsid (CA) proteins of bovine lentiviruses, bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV) and Jembrana disease virus (JDV), were expressed in Escherichia coli and utilised as antigens for an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a western immunoblot (WIB) procedure for the detection of antibody in dairy cattle in Western Australia. A total of 690 serum samples, 30 from each of 23 farms, were tested by ELISA with a JDV CA protein antigen, and antibody was detected in 3.8% (p<0.05) of the sera. Nine sera from each farm were also tested by WIB with JDV CA protein antigens and antibody was detected in 15.9% of these samples. All ELISA-positive results were also WIB-positive, and all sera antibody-positive by WIB with JDV CA protein antigens were also antibody-positive by the WIB using recombinant BIV CA antigens. This study showed that recombinant protein antigens can be used for serological tests to detect bovine lentivirus infection in Australia.

Reactivation of caprine herpesvirus 1 in latently infected goats.

The authors report CapHV.1 reactivation in two latently infected adult goats treated with dexamethasone (DMS) (4.40 mg/kg BW) for 6 days. Virus was reisolated from vaginal swabs from the 3rd to the 12th day post-treatment with DMS and from nasal swabs for 2 days (6th and 7th day post-treatment). The animals also showed an increase of neutralizing antibody (SN) titer to CapHV.1 3 weeks after the end of treatment with DMS.

Diagnosis and treatment of levothyroxine pseudomalabsorption.

Many causes of malabsorption of levothyroxine in patients with hypothyroidism have been thoroughly described in literature. Pseudomalabsorption, poor compliance of the patient with the therapy regime, is the most common cause of failure of levothyroxine therapy. Pseudomalabsorption is characterised by a deficient diagnostic process, patient denial and difficulties in treatment. The present article provides guidelines in diagnosing and treating pseudomalabsorption in hypothyroidism.

Intranasal vaccination of pups with maternally derived antibodies with a modified live canine parvovirus.

The modified live canine parvovirus (CPV) vaccine was used to vaccinate intranasally twenty-five pups with maternal antibody. The vaccine was able to overcome the interference of maternal immunity in rates of 100%, 72.7% and 17.6% in pups with haemagglutination inhibition antibody titre of 40, 80 and 160 respectively.