Metacognitive beliefs mediate the effect of emotional abuse on depressive and psychotic symptoms in severe mental disorders.

BACKGROUND: Early trauma is linked to higher symptom levels in bipolar and psychotic disorders, but the translating mechanisms are not well understood. This study examines whether the relationship between early emotional abuse and depressive symptoms is mediated by metacognitive beliefs about thoughts being uncontrollable/dangerous, and whether this pathway extends to influence positive symptoms. METHOD: Patients (N = 261) with psychotic or bipolar disorders were assessed for early trauma experiences, metacognitive beliefs, and current depression/anxiety and positive symptoms. Mediation path analyses using ordinary least-squares regressions tested if the effect of early emotional abuse on depression/anxiety was mediated by metacognitive beliefs, and if the effect of early emotional abuse on positive symptoms was mediated by metacognitive beliefs and depression/anxiety. RESULTS: Metacognitive beliefs about thoughts being uncontrollable/dangerous significantly mediated the relationship between early emotional abuse and depression/anxiety. Metacognitive beliefs and depression/anxiety significantly mediated the relationship between early emotional abuse and positive symptoms. The models explained a moderate amount of the variance in symptoms (R 2 = 0.21-0.29). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that early emotional abuse is relevant to depression/anxiety and positive symptoms in bipolar and psychotic disorders, and suggest that metacognitive beliefs could play a role in an affective pathway to psychosis. Metacognitive beliefs could be relevant treatment targets with regards to depression/anxiety and positive symptoms in bipolar and psychotic disorders.

Removal of azinphos methyl by alfalfa plants (Medicago sativa L.) in a soil-free system.

The objective of this study was to investigate the removal of azinphos methyl assisted by alfalfa plants, with special emphasis on the effects of this compound on some plant's physiological parameters. Hydroponic cultures of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L., var Romagnola) were employed as a model system. These cultures were exposed to a nutrient medium containing 10 mg/l of azinphos methyl. A first-order kinetic approach was used to describe the removal of azinphos methyl from the solution. After 20 days of culture, the initial amount of azinphos methyl was reduced to non-detectable levels in the presence of plants. In the absence of plants, 20% of azinphos methyl remained in the solution after 30 days of treatment. The half-life of the pesticide was reduced from 10.8 to 3.4 days in the presence of plants. The growth index of alfalfa plants exposed to azinphos methyl was negatively affected. Chlorophyll contents were reduced after 24 h of treatment and thereafter the levels were comparable to that of control plants. The peroxidase activity of alfalfa roots was not affected by the presence of azinphos methyl. In conclusion, alfalfa plants were able to survive when exposed to an effective concentration of 10 mg/l of azinphos methyl in the root zone, with some alterations on their physiological parameters.

The management of elder mistreatment: the physician's role.

The physical abuse, psychological abuse, exploitation, and neglect of older adults constitute a serious and under-recognized public health problem throughout the world. Clinicians often misinterpret the health effects of elder mistreatment (EM) as caused by underlying disease or the aging process. Clues to mistreatment include the patient's appearance, recurrent urgent-care visits for the same diagnosis, missed appointments, suspicious physical findings, and implausible explanations for injuries. Avoiding confrontation and emphasizing treatment of abuse-related health conditions help the clinician maintain a therapeutic alliance with the victim and abuser. Victim safety should be the paramount concern. Victims with decisional capacity should be apprised of the chronic, progressive nature of EM. Clinical strategies to stop abuse include hospitalization and closer monitoring through office visits and home nursing. In most U.S. states, laws require that clinicians report at least physical abuse to the local adult protective services agency or to law enforcement. Mandated reporting, while offering potential social and legal remedies, raises ethical concerns regarding the physician-patient relationship.

Azinphos methyl residues in shallow groundwater from the fruit production region of northern Patagonia, Argentina.

Groundwater samples were collected from monitoring wells along an area of intensive fruit production. Different types of correlations were investigated between soil physicochemical characteristics, depths and agricultural practices with pesticide detection frequency. In the three analyzed periods azinphos methyl, S-(3,4-diydro-4-oxobenzo[d]-[1,2,3]-triazin-3-ylmethyl)-O,O-dimethyl phosphorodithioate, showed a definite seasonal behavior related to the application pattern, increasing its concentration in the aquifer from October to November-December and then decreasing towards March. Samples obtained during the non-spraying season showed that azinphos methyl residues were lower than detection limit (LOD). An inverse correlation was observed between azinphos methyl concentration and the time elapsed since the last pesticide application. Seasonal events such as rain and irrigation influence the chemical concentration in the well, while no correlation was obtained between soil characteristics and azinphos methyl concentration. The soil attenuation capacity was not enough to prevent the presence of azinphos methyl in the aquifer during the application season.

Lebensunwertes leben and the obligation to die. Does the obligation to die rest on a misunderstanding of community?

In this paper the authors address the recent argument that we have an obligation to seek or actively bring about our own death when we burden others too greatly. Some of the problems with this argument and some of the practical consequences of adopting such a point of view are discussed in this paper. We argue that the argument rests on an individualistic approach which sees the family being burdened as standing alone instead of seeing it as embedded in a burden-sharing community.

Bioethics at the crossroad.

Bioethics and its offspring Health-care Ethics have a variety of uses and obligations among which and perhaps most importantly is their social obligation. This paper raises questions as to Bioethics fulfilling the necessary criteria for a profession, suggests that it can serve as a link between individual and communal problems, discusses the task of health-care ethics as well as ways of teaching it, lists some of the obligations of health-care ethics professionals and discusses the dangers to and failings of these health-care professionals today. It concludes that we are at a crossroads in which we must choose between our own personal security and comfort and fulfilling our social role.

Motor dysfunction and risk for schizophrenia.

Motor dysfunction is associated with schizophrenia, and recent longitudinal studies indicate that it precedes the onset of clinical symptoms. Of particular interest is the heightened occurrence of involuntary movements, which are apparent as early as infancy and suggest the presence of subcortical brain abnormalities. In this article, we present the results of a study of spontaneous movements in adolescents with schizotypal personality disorder (SPD). SPD is a syndrome that has been shown to be genetically linked with schizophrenia and is often observed prior to the early adult onset of schizophrenia. Systematic coding of videotapes of diagnostic interviews revealed that the SPD group showed significantly more involuntary movements of the head, trunk, and upper limbs than did normals and adolescents with other personality disorders. There were no diagnostic group differences in the rate of voluntary movements. Salivary cortisol, measured before the interview, was positively correlated with involuntary movements. Taken together, the findings provide further support for the hypothesized etiologic relation between SPD and schizophrenia. Based on a neural diathesis-stress model, potential underlying mechanisms are discussed.

Effect of pesticide use in fruit production orchards on shallow ground water.

As a part of landscape-scale study, ground water samples were collected from 30 wells located in fruit production farms belonging to the valley of Neuquen river during the period 1995-1998 and analyzed for organophosphate pesticides. As a consequence of the leaching process, ground water from the Valley of Neuquen River frequently contained concentrations of organophosphorus pesticides that exceeded acute toxicity risk ratios established to protect aquatic life. It was found that some pesticides, as azinphos methyl, had a high detection frequency, 66% of the samples, with concentrations varying from no detection to 48.9 ppb. Dimethoate, metidathion and phosmet were also detected with frequencies of 14.1, 13.6 and 10.8% and with concentration ranks from no detection to a maximum value of 10.9, 2.0 and 15.5 ppb, respectively. Seasonal variations and temporal trends were found for these compounds in ground water.