Faculty Bibliography

Shifting definitions and differences in the conceptualization of bipolar disorders have contributed to long diagnostic delays, poor reliability, and inconsistent findings. Rating scales are independent of clinical judgment and offer a reliable way to assess manic symptoms, making them good tools to improve both clinical and research diagnoses of bipolar disorder. However, there are dozens of candidates, with few obvious distinguishing characteristics, making it difficult to select one. Our goal was to metaanalyze the diagnostic accuracy of rating scales designed to identify [hypo]manic symptoms. Additionally, we explored potential moderator variables including global region, translation into a different language, and sample composition. Nearly 4000 articles were identified with searches in PubMed and PsycINFO, yielding 127 effect sizes from 103 studies that met the following inclusion criteria: (a) statistics reported by which a standardized effect size could be calculated, (b) participants age 18 + years, (c) reference diagnoses made by semistructured/structured diagnostic interview, (d) results published in English. Multivariate mixed regression models accounted for multiple effect sizes nested within sample. One hundred twenty-seven effect sizes across 14 rating scales were evaluated. There was significant heterogeneity across effect sizes; Cochran's Q(126 df) = 1622.08, p < .00005, and substantial variance components both within (σ2 = .057) and between samples (σ2 = .253). Four measures performed similarly well and significantly better than some competitors after controlling for design and reporting features. The best rating scales offer an inexpensive, efficient way to improve research and clinical diagnostic processes across diverse populations, and could also complement formal diagnoses for examining secular and cultural trends. (PsycINFO Database Record

Nanometer-scale pores have been developed for the detection, characterization, and quantification of a wide range of analytes (e.g., ions, polymers, proteins, anthrax toxins, neurotransmitters, and synthetic nanoparticles) and for DNA sequencing. We describe the key requirements that made this method possible and how the technique evolved. Finally, we show that, despite sound theoretical work, which advanced both the conceptual framework and quantitative capability of the method, there are still unresolved questions that need to be addressed to further improve the technique.

BACKGROUND:Internationally, the clinical outcomes of routine mental health services are rarely recorded or reported; however, an exception is the English Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service, which delivers psychological therapies recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for depression and anxiety disorders to more than 537 000 patients in the UK each year. A session-by-session outcome monitoring system ensures that IAPT obtains symptom scores before and after treatment for 98% of patients. Service outcomes can then be reported, along with contextual information, on public websites. METHODS:We used publicly available data to identify predictors of variability in clinical performance. Using β regression models, we analysed the outcome data released by National Health Service Digital and Public Health England for the 2014-15 financial year (April 1, 2014, to March 31, 2015) and developed a predictive model of reliable improvement and reliable recovery. We then tested whether these predictors were also associated with changes in service outcome between 2014-15 and 2015-16. FINDINGS:Five service organisation features predicted clinical outcomes in 2014-15. Percentage of cases with a problem descriptor, number of treatment sessions, and percentage of referrals treated were positively associated with outcome. The time waited to start treatment and percentage of appointments missed were negatively associated with outcome. Additive odd ratios suggest that moving from the lowest to highest level on an organisational factor could improve service outcomes by 11-42%, dependent on the factor. Consistent with a causal model, most organisational factors also predicted between-year changes in outcome, together accounting for 33% of variance in reliable improvement and 22% for reliable recovery. Social deprivation was negatively associated with some outcomes, but the effect was partly mitigated by the organisational factors. INTERPRETATION:Traditionally, efforts to improve mental health outcomes have largely focused on the development of new and more effective treatments. Our analyses show that the way psychological therapy services are implemented could be similarly important. Mental health services elsewhere in the UK and in other countries might benefit from adopting IAPT's approach to recording and publicly reporting clinical outcomes. FUNDING:Wellcome Trust.

This review summarizes the available literature on the intersection of adolescent cannabis use and sleep disturbances, along with interventions for adolescent cannabis users who suffer sleep impairments. Adolescents are susceptible to various sleep disorders, which are often exacerbated by the use of substances such as cannabis. The relationship between cannabis and sleep is bidirectional. Interventions to improve sleep impairments among adolescent cannabis users to date have demonstrated limited efficacy, although few studies indicating the benefits of behavioral interventions-such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Insomnia or Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction-appear promising in the treatment of sleep disorders, which are present for users of cannabis. Further research is necessary to elucidate the precise mechanisms by which cannabis use coexists with sleep impairments, along with effective interventions for those users who suffer sleep difficulties.

Human olfaction is sensitive but poorly encoded by language. A new study comparing horticulturalists and hunter-gatherers suggests that the strength of odor language is dependent on life-style. This work may stimulate olfactory research at the crossroads between biology and culture.

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