Biofilm Inhibition and Antiviral Response of Cold Sprayed and Shot Peened Copper Surfaces: Effect of Surface Morphology and Microstructure.

Antibacterial properties of copper against planktonic bacteria population are affected by surface microstructure and topography. However, copper interactions with bacteria in a biofilm state are less studied. This work aims at better understanding the difference in biofilm inhibition of bulk, cold-sprayed, and shot-peened copper surfaces and gaining further insights on the underlying mechanisms using optical and scanning electron microscopy to investigate the topography and microstructure of the surfaces. The biofilm inhibition ability is reported for all surfaces. Results show that the biofilm inhibition performance of cold sprayed copper, while initially better, decreases with time and results in an almost identical performance than as-received copper after 18h incubation time. The shot-peened samples with a rough and ultrafine microstructure demonstrated an enhanced biofilm control, especially at 18 hr. The biofilm control mechanisms were explained by the diffusion rates and concentration of copper ions and the interaction between these ions and the biofilm, while surface topography plays a role in the bacteria attachment at the early planktonic state. Furthermore, the data suggest that surface topography plays a key role in antiviral activity of the materials tested, with a smooth surface being the most efficient.

The efficiency of dynamic and static facial expression recognition.

Unlike frozen snapshots of facial expressions that we often see in photographs, natural facial expressions are dynamic events that unfold in a particular fashion over time. But how important are the temporal properties of expressions for our ability to reliably extract information about a person's emotional state? We addressed this question experimentally by gauging human performance in recognizing facial expressions with varying temporal properties relative to that of a statistically optimal ("ideal") observer. We found that people recognized emotions just as efficiently when viewing them as naturally evolving dynamic events, temporally reversed events, temporally randomized events, or single images frozen in time. Our results suggest that the dynamic properties of human facial movements may play a surprisingly small role in people's ability to infer the emotional states of others from their facial expressions.

A pilot open label prospective study of memantine monotherapy in adults with ADHD.

OBJECTIVES: Available pharmacotherapies treat some adults with ADHD inadequately. A small literature suggests that glutamate modulation could have effects on ADHD. METHODS: Memantine, an N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, was titrated to a maximum dose of 10 mg BID in 34 adult subjects aged 18-55 who met DSM-IV criteria for ADHD or ADHD NOS on structured interview. Twenty-eight subjects completed 12 weeks exposure. The Adult ADHD Investigator Symptom Report (AISRS), Clinical Global Impression (CGI), a neuropsychological battery sensitive to domains of executive function, and the CANTAB cognitive battery were administered. Paired t-tests compared treated and baseline scores. RESULTS: At week 12, AISRS data showed reduction in total symptoms (-17.5, P < 0.001), inattentive symptoms (-10.6, P < 0.001), and hyperactive symptoms (-6.9, P < 0.01). A total of 44% of subjects had CGI ratings of much or very much improved. Cognitive performance improved in measures of attention, working memory, and other selected executive domains by weeks 6 and 12 (each P < 0.05); simple reaction time declined by week 12 (P < 0.05). There were no severe adverse events, but mild adverse events were common and six subjects discontinued due to adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: Memantine was largely well-tolerated and associated with improvement in ADHD symptoms and neuropsychological performance. Randomized studies are indicated to confirm whether memantine is a novel therapy for ADHD across the lifespan.

Representativeness of participants in a clinical trial for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder? Comparison with adults from a large observational study.

BACKGROUND: Clinical trials have demonstrated that pharmacotherapies can safely treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adulthood. Eligibility criteria in these trials may significantly limit their external validity by excluding a significant portion of adults with ADHD in the general population. In particular, exclusion criteria may frequently exclude individuals with comorbid mental health conditions, which are common in the adult ADHD population. METHOD: We addressed the representativeness of clinical trials by comparing 146 adult clinical trial participants with DSM-IV ADHD and a community sample composed of 124 adults with DSM-IV ADHD and 123 non-ADHD controls. Subjects were compared on socioeconomic status, Hollingshead occupational code, cognitive measures, lifetime psychopathology, and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale ratings. RESULTS: Adults with ADHD in the community sample had higher rates of lifetime psychiatric comorbidity, lower GAF scores, and lower occupational codes than those in the clinical trial. The clinical trial eligibility criteria would have excluded 61% of community sample adults with ADHD. This excluded portion of the community sample had higher rates of lifetime psychiatric comorbidity and lower GAF scores than clinical trial participants. CONCLUSIONS: Adults with ADHD participating in the clinical trial had less evidence of functional impairment and endorsed less psychiatric comorbidity than the majority of community sample subjects with ADHD. This suggests that findings from clinical trials may have limited external validity for adults with ADHD in the general population, particularly for those adults with ADHD with the greatest burden of comorbid psychopathology.

Atomoxetine in the treatment of adults with subthreshold and/or late onset attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder-not otherwise specified (ADHD-NOS): a prospective open-label 6-week study.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of atomoxetine hydrochloride (ATX) in the treatment of adults with atypical manifestations of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (not otherwise specified [NOS]). We hypothesized that treatment with ATX will be safe and efficacious for the treatment of adults with ADHD-NOS. This was a 6-week, open-label, prospective treatment study of ATX monotherapy in 45 adult patients with ADHD-NOS assessed using standardized instruments for diagnosis and a robust oral daily dose of up to 1.2 mg/kg/day or 120 mg/day. Symptom severity was assessed with the adult ADHD Investigator Symptom Report Scale (AISRS) and Clinical Global Impression Scale. Treatment with ATX at an average daily dose of 78.7 +/- 27.8 mg was associated with a statistically and clinically significant reduction in ADHD symptoms relative to baseline as assessed through the (AISRS) (-12.1 +/- 8.4; P < 0.001). Using a categorical definition of response (CGI-I much or very much improved), a majority (N = 29; 64%) of subjects were rated as improved at study endpoint. Treatment with ATX was relatively well tolerated. These open-label results suggest that ATX may be safe and effective in the treatment of adults meeting criteria for ADHD-NOS and support the need for further controlled clinical trials of ATX in this population.