[Joint crisis plans in mental health hospitals-Real practice in an association of psychiatric hospitals]. / Behandlungsvereinbarungen in der Psychiatrie ­ reale Praxis in einem Verbund psychiatrischer Kliniken.

BACKGROUND: Joint crisis plans (JCPs) are offered in many psychiatric hospitals, but patients only rarely make use of them. OBJECTIVE: To assess the rates of JCPs among inpatients of mental health hospitals and to analyze the clinical characteristics of patients who make use of a JCP. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We carried out a retrospective analysis of routine data from the statistical database/basis documentation of the LVR hospital association, which consists of nine psychiatric hospitals. The basis documentation is consistent in the nine hospitals. All admissions between 2016 and 2020 were considered. We recorded the existence of a JCP, age, gender and main diagnosis at release, as well as previous hospital stays, detention under the Mental Health Act of the Federal State of NRW and experiences with compulsory measures (seclusion/restraint) in the previous 24 months before index admission. RESULTS: Out of a total of 117,662 inpatients 467 (0.4%) had completed a JCP. Patients with JCP were more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or emotionally unstable personality disorder. Patients with a JCP had more previous inpatient stays and they had more frequently experienced detentions and compulsory measures. However, 50% of the patients with a JCP had other diagnoses and the vast majority of them had experienced no detention or compulsory measure in the 24 months preceding the first documentation of a JCP. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the use of JCPs is limited. The targeted group of patients with severe mental illness and previous experience with involuntary placements and compulsory measures make use of the offer of a JCP but so do other patients as well. Additional qualitative analyses are required in order to analyze the content and objectives of JCPs in more detail.

Adenosine and the homeostatic control of sleep: effects of A1 receptor blockade in the perifornical lateral hypothalamus on sleep-wakefulness.

The orexinergic neurons of the lateral hypothalamus (LH) are critical for wakefulness [McCarley RW (2007) Neurobiology of REM and NREM sleep. Sleep Med 8:302-330]. Recent evidence suggests that adenosine (AD), a homeostatic sleep factor, may act via A1 receptor (A1R) to control orexinergic activity and regulate sleep-wakefulness [Thakkar MM, Winston S, McCarley RW (2002) Orexin neurons of the hypothalamus express adenosine A1 receptors. Brain Res 944:190-194; Liu ZW, Gao XB (2006) Adenosine inhibits activity of hypocretin/orexin neurons via A1 receptor in the lateral hypothalamus: a possible sleep-promoting effect. J Neurophysiol]. To evaluate the role of AD in the orexinergic LH and its influences on sleep-wakefulness, we designed two experiments in freely behaving rats: First, we bilaterally microinjected 1,3-dipropyl-8-phenylxanthine (DPX) (1.5 pmol and 15 pmol), a selective A1R antagonist into the LH during the light cycle and examined its effect on spontaneous sleep-wakefulness. Second, we performed 6 h of sleep deprivation. Thirty minutes before the animals were allowed to enter recovery sleep, 15 pmol of DPX was bilaterally microinjected into the LH and its effects on recovery sleep were monitored. Microinjection of DPX into the orexinergic LH produced a significant increase in wakefulness with a concomitant reduction in sleep, both during spontaneous bouts of sleep-wakefulness and during recovery sleep. Local administration of DPX into the LH produced a significant increase in the latency to non-REM sleep during recovery sleep. However, total slow wave (delta) activity during non-REM sleep phase of recovery sleep remained unaffected after DPX treatment. This is the first study that implicates endogenous adenosine to have a functional role in controlling orexinergic tone and influencing the homeostatic regulation of sleep-wakefulness.

Active demethylation of the paternal genome in the mouse zygote.

DNA methylation is essential for the control of a number of biological mechanisms in mammals [1]. Mammalian development is accompanied by two major waves of genome-wide demethylation and remethylation: one during germ-cell development and the other after fertilisation [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]. Most previous studies have suggested that the genome-wide demethylation observed after fertilisation occurs passively, that is, by the lack of maintenance methylation following DNA replication and cell division [6] [7], although one other study has reported that replication-independent demethylation may also occur during early embryogenesis [8]. Here, we report that genes that are highly methylated in sperm are rapidly demethylated in the zygote only hours after fertilisation, before the first round of DNA replication commences. By contrast, the oocyte-derived maternal alleles are unaffected by this reprogramming. They either remain methylated after fertilisation or become further methylated de novo. These results provide the first direct evidence for active demethylation of single-copy genes in the mammalian zygote and, moreover, reveal a striking asymmetry in epigenetic methylation reprogramming. Whereas paternally (sperm)-derived sequences are exposed to putative active demethylases in the oocyte cytoplasm, maternally (oocyte)-derived sequences are protected from this reaction. These results, whose generality is supported by findings of Mayer et al. [9], have important implications for the establishment of biparental genetic totipotency after fertilisation, the establishment and maintenance of genomic imprinting, and the reprogramming of somatic cells during cloning.

Epigenetic targeting in the mouse zygote marks DNA for later methylation: a mechanism for maternal effects in development.

The transgenic sequences in the mouse line TKZ751 are demethylated on a DBA/2 inbred strain background but become highly methylated at postimplantation stages in offspring of a cross with a BALB/c female. In the reciprocal cross the transgene remains demethylated suggesting that imprinted BALB/c methylation modifiers or egg cytoplasmic factors are responsible for this striking maternal effect on de novo methylation. Reciprocal pronuclear transplantation experiments were carried out to distinguish between these mechanisms. The results indicate that a maternally-derived oocyte cytoplasmic factor from BALB/c marks the TKZ751 sequences at fertilization; this mark and postzygotic BALB/c modifiers are both required for de novo methylation of the target sequences at postimplantation stages. Using genetic linkage analyses we mapped the maternal effect to a locus on chromosome 17. Moreover, seven postzygotic modifier loci were identified that increase the postimplantation level of methylation. Analysis of interactions between the maternal and the postzygotic loci shows that both are needed for de novo methylation in the offspring. The combined experiments thus reveal a novel epigenetic marking process at fertilization which targets DNA for later methylation in the foetus. The most significant consequence is that the genotype of the mother can influence the epigenotype of the offspring by this marking process. A number of parental and imprinting effects may be explained by this epigenetic marking.

Sleep-wakefulness in alcohol preferring and non-preferring rats following binge alcohol administration.

The alcohol-preferring (P) rat is a valid animal model of alcoholism. However, the effect of alcohol on sleep in P or alcohol non-preferring (NP) rats is unknown. Since alcohol consumption has tremendous impact on sleep, the present study compared the effects of binge alcohol administration on sleep-wakefulness in P and NP rats. Using standard surgical procedures, the P and NP rats were bilaterally implanted with sleep recording electrodes. Following post-operative recovery and habituation, pre-ethanol (baseline) sleep-wakefulness was electrographically recorded for 48 h. Subsequently, ethanol was administered beginning with a priming dose of 5 g/Kg followed by two doses of 2 g/Kg every 8 h on the first day and three doses of 3 g/Kg/8 h on the second day. On the following day (post-ethanol), undisturbed sleep-wakefulness was electrographically recorded for 24 h. Our initial results suggest that, during baseline conditions, the time spent in each of the three behavioral states: wakefulness, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and REM sleep, was comparable between P and NP rats. However, the P rats were more susceptible to changes in sleep-wakefulness following 2 days of binge ethanol treatment. As compared to NP rats, the P rats displayed insomnia like symptoms including a significant reduction in the amount of time spent in NREM sleep coupled with a significant increase in wakefulness on post-ethanol day. Subsequent analysis revealed that binge ethanol induced increased wakefulness and reduced NREM sleep in P rats occurred mainly in the dark period. This is the first study that: (1) demonstrates spontaneous sleep-wake profile in P and NP rats, and (2) compares the effects of binge ethanol treatment on sleep in P and NP rats. Our results suggest that, as compared to NP rats, the P rats were more susceptible to sleep disruptions after binge ethanol treatment. In addition, the P rats exhibited insomnia-like symptoms observed during abstinence from alcohol in human subjects.

X-ray diffuse scattering measurements of nucleation dynamics at femtosecond resolution.

Femtosecond time-resolved small and wide angle x-ray diffuse scattering techniques are applied to investigate the ultrafast nucleation processes that occur during the ablation process in semiconducting materials. Following intense optical excitation, a transient liquid state of high compressibility characterized by large-amplitude density fluctuations is observed and the buildup of these fluctuations is measured in real time. Small-angle scattering measurements reveal snapshots of the spontaneous nucleation of nanoscale voids within a metastable liquid and support theoretical predictions of the ablation process.

Carrier-density-dependent lattice stability in InSb.

The ultrafast decay of the x-ray diffraction intensity following laser excitation of an InSb crystal has been utilized to observe carrier dependent changes in the potential energy surface. For the first time, an abrupt carrier dependent onset for potential energy surface softening and the appearance of accelerated atomic disordering for a very high average carrier density have been observed. Inertial dynamics dominate the early stages of crystal disordering for a wide range of carrier densities between the onset of crystal softening and the appearance of accelerated atomic disordering.

Ultrafast bond softening in bismuth: mapping a solid's interatomic potential with X-rays.

Intense femtosecond laser excitation can produce transient states of matter that would otherwise be inaccessible to laboratory investigation. At high excitation densities, the interatomic forces that bind solids and determine many of their properties can be substantially altered. Here, we present the detailed mapping of the carrier density-dependent interatomic potential of bismuth approaching a solid-solid phase transition. Our experiments combine stroboscopic techniques that use a high-brightness linear electron accelerator-based x-ray source with pulse-by-pulse timing reconstruction for femtosecond resolution, allowing quantitative characterization of the interatomic potential energy surface of the highly excited solid.

Amino acid sequence of the ribosomal protein HS23 from the halophilic Haloarcula marismortui and homology studies to other ribosomal proteins.

The ribosomal protein HS23 from the 30S subunit of the extreme halophilic Haloarcula marismortui, belonging to the group of archaea, was isolated either by RP-HLPLC or two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The complete amino acid sequence was determined by automated N-terminal microsequencing. The protein consists of 123 residues with a corresponding molecular mass of 12,552 Da as determined by electrospray mass spectroscopy; the pI is 11.04. Homology studies reveal similarities to the eukaryotic ribosomal protein S8 from Homo sapiens, Rattus norvegicus, Leishmania major, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Bisulfite-based methylation analysis of imprinted genes.

Genomic imprinting is an epigenetically controlled form of gene regulation leading to the preferential expression of one parental gene copy. To date, approximately 40 imprinted genes have been described that are exclusively or predominantly expressed from either the paternal or the maternal allele (www.mgu.har.mrc.ac.uk/imprinting/implink.html). Changes in the imprinted expression of such genes result in developmental abnormalities; in the human they are associated with several diseases and various types of cancer (1-3).

Interfacial melting of ice in contact with SiO(2).

The physical behavior of condensed matter can be drastically altered in the presence of interfaces. Using a high-energy x-ray transmission-reflection scheme, we have studied ice-SiO2 model interfaces. We observed the formation of a quasiliquid layer below the bulk melting temperature and determined its thickness and density as a function of temperature. The quasiliquid layer has stronger correlations than water and a large density close to rho(HDA)=1.17 g/cm(3) of high-density amorphous ice suggesting a structural relationship with the postulated high-density liquid phase of water.

Cartography of ribosomal proteins of the 30S subunit from the halophilic Haloarcula marismortui and complete sequence analysis of protein HS26.

By two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of 30S ribosomal subunit proteins (S proteins) from Haloarcula marismortui we identified 27 distinct spots and analyzed all of them by protein sequence analysis. We demonstrated that protein HmaS2 (HS2) is encoded by the open reading frame orfMSG and has sequence similarities to the S2 ribosomal protein family. The proteins HmaS5 and HmaS14 were identified as spots HS7 and HS21/HS22, respectively. Protein HS4 was characterized by amino-terminal sequence analysis. The spot HS25 was recognized as an individual protein and also characterized by sequence analysis. Furthermore, the complete primary sequence of HS26 is reported, showing similarity only to eukaryotic ribosomal proteins. The sequence data of a further basic protein shows a high degree of similarity to ribosomal protein S12, therefore, it was designated HmaS12. Slightly different results compared to published sequence data were obtained for the protein HS12 and HmaS19. The putative 'ribosomal' protein HSH could not be localized in the two-dimensional pattern of the total 30S ribosomal subunit proteins of H. marismortui. Therefore, it seems to be unlikely that this protein is a real constituent of the H. marismortui ribosome.

Sequence and functional comparison in the Beckwith-Wiedemann region: implications for a novel imprinting centre and extended imprinting.

The clustered organization of most imprinted genes in mammals suggests coordinated genetic and epigenetic control mechanisms. Comparisons between human and mouse will help in elucidating these mechanisms by identifying structural and functional similarities. Previously we reported on such a comparison in the central part of the mouse imprinting cluster on distal chromosome 7 with the homologous Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) gene cluster on human chromosome 11p15.5. Here we focus on the adjacent sequences of 0.5 Mb including the KCNQ1/Kcnq1 and CDKN1C/Cdkn1c genes, which are implicated in BWS, and on one of the proposed boundary regions of the imprinting cluster. As in the previously analysed central region, this part of the cluster exhibits a highly conserved arrangement and structure of genes. The most striking similarity is found in the 3' part of the KCNQ1/Kcnq1 genes in large stretches of mostly non-coding sequences. The conserved region includes the recently identified KCNQ1OT1/Kcnq1ot1 antisense transcripts, flanked by a strikingly conserved cluster of LINE/Line elements and a CpG island which we show to carry a maternal germline methylation imprint. This region is likely to be the proposed second imprinting centre (IC2) in the BWS cluster. We also identified several novel genes inside and outside the previously proposed boundaries of the imprinting cluster. One of the genes outside the cluster, Obph1, is imprinted in mouse placenta indicating that at least in extra-embryonic tissues the imprinting cluster extends into a larger domain.

Sequence conservation and variability of imprinting in the Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome gene cluster in human and mouse.

In human and mouse most imprinted genes are arranged in chromosomal clusters. This linked organization suggests coordinated mechanisms controlling imprinted expression. We have sequenced 250 kb in the centre of the mouse imprinting cluster on distal chromosome 7 and compared it with the orthologous Beckwith-Wiedemann gene cluster on human chromosome 11p15.5. This first comparative imprinting cluster analysis revealed a high structural and functional conservation of the six orthologous genes identified. However, several striking differences were also discovered. First, compared with the mouse the human sequence is approximately 40% longer, mostly due to insertions of two large repetitive clusters. One of these clusters encompasses an additional gene coding for a homologue of the ribosomal protein L26. Second, pronounced blocks of unique direct repeats characteristic of imprinted genes were only found in the human sequence. Third, two of the orthologous gene pairs Tssc4/TSSC4 and Ltrpc5/LTRPC5 showed apparent differences in imprinting between human and mouse, whereas others like Tssc6/TSSC6 were not imprinted in either organism. Together these results suggest a significant functional and structural variability in the centre of the imprinting cluster. Some genes escape imprinting in both organisms whereas others exhibit tissue- and species-specific imprinting. Hence the control of imprinting in the cluster appears to be a highly dynamic process under fast evolutionary adaptation. Intriguingly, whereas imprinted genes within the cluster contain CpG islands the non-imprinted Ltrpc5 and Tssc6/TSSC6 do not. This and additional comparisons with other imprinted and non-imprinted regions suggest that CpG islands are key features of imprinted domains.