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A prototype of hybrid, resistive and high temperature superconductor (HTS) 1100A current leads, cooled by cryocooler, is described and discussed.

Introduction: Differential characteristics related to first illness episode in bipolar disorder (BD) have been identified based on the current literature; however, evidence are currently inconsistent across studies. Objectives: Thus, this study aimed to identify whether first depressive episode (FDE) was associated with specific clinical correlates in a large sample of BD outpatients. Methods: The sample included 364 euthymic bipolar outpatients (mean age= 53.9±16.05) of which 229 (62.9%) with FDE and 135 (37.1%) with first non-depressive episode (FNDE). A detailed data collection was performed and illness histories were retraced through clinical files and lifetime computerized medical records. Results: Compared to patients with FNDE, those with FDE significantly differ regarding age (p ≤.001), educational level (p ≤.05), working status (p ≤.01), and body mass index (p ≤.05). They were also more likely to have a older age at illness onset (p ≤.005) and first treatment (p≤.001), recent melancholic characteristics (p≤.05) and more lifetime suicide attempts (p ≤.05), use of non psychiatric medications in the past (p ≤.05), and have experienced a recent manic episode (p ≤.05). After logistic regression analysis adjusting for age, educational level, and working status, FDE was associated with recent melancholic features (OR≤.065, p≤.01), and lifetime suicide attempts (OR≤8.334, p≤.05). Conclusions: The identification of early targets for treatment may be very useful in the stratification of different BD phenotypes in the clinical practice. The presence of FDE seems to identify a specific subgroup of BD outpatients exhibiting differential clinical characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Suicidal behavior, which is frequently linked to mood disorders, is amajor public health concern associatedwith significant disability and psychosocial impairment worldwide. Inflammatory mediators seem to play a fundamental role in the pathophysiology of bothmood disorders and suicidal behavior. In particular, a specific correlation between abnormally elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines and depression severity has been identified. Objectives: The present systematic review aimed to explore the nature of the association between increased inflammatory cytokines and suicidal behavior. Methods: This is a systematic review of the current literature about the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines in suicidal behavior. Only articles from peer-reviewed journals were selected for inclusion in the present review. Results: The cytokine profile of patients at risk for suicidal behavior significantly differed from that of patients who are not at suicide risk. Importantly, there may be an important imbalance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in individuals who die by suicide. Most studies reported the link between suicidal behavior and specific pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL2, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-a. Differences regarding the inflammatory cytokine profile emerged between subjects with active suicidal ideation and/or history of prior suicide attempts when compared to those without suicidal ideation/attempts. However, the existence of a causal association between suicidal behavior and neuronflammation needs to be further explored. Conclusions: Based on most of the studies included in the present review, neuroinflammation plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of suicidal behavior. Additional studies should elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the immune activation pathways underlying suicidality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stressful life events (SLE) may influence the illness course and outcome. This study aimed to characterize socio-demographic and clinical features of euthymic major depressive disorder (MDD) outpatients with SLE compared with those without., Methods: The present sample included 628 (mean age=55.1 ± 16.1) currently euthymic MDD outpatients of whom 250 (39.8%) reported SLE and 378 (60.2%) did not., Results: After univariate analyses, outpatients with SLE were most frequently widowed and lived predominantly with friends/others. Moreover, relative to outpatients without SLE, those with SLE were more likely to have a family history of suicidal behavior, manifested melancholic features, report a higher Coping Orientation to the Problems Experienced (COPE) positive reinterpretation/growth and less likely to have a comorbid panic disorder, residual interepisodic symptoms, use previous psychiatric medications, and currently use of antidepressants. Having a family history of suicide (OR=9.697; p =≤.05), history of psychotropic medications use (OR=2.888; p =≤.05), and reduced use of antidepressants (OR=.321; p =.001) were significantly associated with SLE after regression analyses. Mediation analyses showed that the association between current use of antidepressants and SLE was mediated by previous psychiatric medications., Conclusion: Having a family history of suicide, history of psychotropic medications use, and reduced use of antidepressants is linked to a specific "at risk" profile characterized by the enhanced vulnerability to experience SLE., (Copyright © 2020 Serafini, Gonda, Canepa, Geoffroy, Pompili and Amore.)

Environmental variables can regulate behavior in healthy subjects. Recently, some authors investigated the role of meteorological variables in bipolar patients with an impact on both the onset and course of bipolar disorder (BD). The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of meteorological variables and other indexes in bipolar hospitalized patients. We examined all patients admitted to the Psychiatric Inpatient Unit of San Luigi Gonzaga Hospital, Orbassano (Turin, Italy) from September 2013 to August 2015, collecting several socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. Seven hundred and thirty patients were included. Compared to the day of admission of control individuals, patients with BD were admitted on a day that presented higher minimum, medium, and maximum temperature, higher maximum humidity, higher solar radiation, and higher hours of sunshine. After logistic regression analysis, admissions to the emergency psychiatric ward due to a primary diagnosis of BD were associated with maximum temperature and solar radiation. The current study provides a novel perspective on the question surrounding seasonal mood patterns in patients with BD. A greater awareness of all possible precipitating factors is needed to inform self-management and psycho-educational programs as well as to improve resilience regarding affective recurrences in the clinical practice.

Although several pharmacological options to treat depression are currently available, approximately one third of patients who receive antidepressant medications do not respond adequately or achieve a complete remission. Thus, novel strategies are needed to successfully address those who did not respond, or partially respond, to available antidepressant pharmacotherapy. Research findings revealed that the opioid system is significantly involved in the regulation of mood and incentives salience and may be an appropriate target for novel therapeutic agents. The present study aimed to systematically review the current literature about the use of buprenorphine (BUP) for major depression, treatment-resistant depression (TRD), non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behavior, and suicidal behavior. We investigated Pubmed and Scopus databases using the following keywords: "buprenorphine AND depression", "buprenorphine AND treatment resistant depression", "buprenorphine AND suicid*", "buprenorphine AND refractory depression". Several evidence demonstrate that, at low doses, BUP is an efficacious, well-tolerated, and safe option in reducing depressive symptoms, serious suicidal ideation, and NSSI, even in patients with TRD. However, more studies are needed to evaluate the long-term effects, and relative efficacy of specific combinations (e.g., BUP + samidorphan (BUP/SAM), BUP + naloxone (BUP/NAL), BUP + naltrexone) over BUP monotherapy or adjunctive BUP treatment with standard antidepressants, as well as to obtain more uniform guidance about the optimal BUP dosing interval., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Introduction: Childhood maltreatment (CM) has been associated with an increased risk of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal behaviors. However, the exact nature of the association between CM and NSSI is currently unclear. The present review aimed to systematically investigate the association between CM and NSSI in adolescence and early adulthood., Methods: A systematic search of four major electronic databases covering both medical and social science research (PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and PsycINFO) was conducted., Results: Overall, 20 cross-sectional studies including a total of 22,517 individuals, 3 longitudinal follow-up studies including 1,728 individuals, and 3 retrospective studies including 62,089 individuals were selected. It appears that CM is a significant risk factor for both NSSI and suicide attempts. The increased vulnerability to NSSI seems to be related to experiences of CM, particularly sexual abuse. Gender differences were also found. Generally, when compared to males, females who experienced CM seem to be more vulnerable to presenting with NSSI and suicidal behaviors., Conclusion: There is a positive association between CM and NSSI. The importance of early detection and risk reduction of self-injurious behavior for adolescents is discussed.

Google Trends (GT) was mined from 2004 to 2015, searching for West-Nile virus disease (WNVD) in Italy. GT-generated data were modeled as a time series and were analyzed using classical time series analyses. In particular, correlation between GT-based Relative Search Volumes (RSVs) related to WNVD and "real-world" epidemiological cases in the same study period resulted r =0.76 ( p <0.0001) on a monthly basis and r =0.80 ( p <0.0001) on a yearly basis. The partial autocorrelation analysis and the spectral analysis confirmed that a 1-year regular pattern could be detected. Correlation between GT-based RSVs related to WNVD yielded a r =0.54 ( p <0.05) on a regional basis. Summarizing, GT-generated data concerning WNVD well correlated with epidemiology and could be exploited for complementing traditional surveillance.

A numerically efficient technique is presented for computing the field radiated or scattered from three-dimensional objects embedded within layered acoustic media. The distance between the receivers and the object of interest is supposed to be large compared to the acoustic wavelength. The method requires the pressure and normal particle displacement on the surface of the object or on an arbitrary circumscribing surface, as an input, together with a knowledge of the layered medium Green's functions. The numerical integration of the full wave number spectral representation of the Green's functions is avoided by employing approximate formulas which are available in terms of elementary functions. The pressure and normal particle displacement on the surface of the object of interest, on the other hand, may be known by analytical or numerical means or from experiments. No restrictions are placed on the location of the object, which may lie above, below, or across the interface between the fluid media. The proposed technique is verified through numerical examples, for which the near field pressure and the particle displacement are computed via a finite-element method. The results are compared to validated reference models, which are based on the full wave number spectral integral Green's function.

An underwater acoustic experiment with a two-dimensional rough interface, milled from a slab of PVC, was performed at a tank facility. The purpose was to verify the predictions of numerical models of acoustic rough surface scattering, using a manufactured physical model of an ocean bottom that featured shear effects, nonhomogeneous roughness statistics, and root-mean-square roughness amplitude on the order of the acoustic wavelength. Predictions of the received time series and interface scattering strength in the 100-300 kHz band were obtained from the Bottom Reverberation from Inhomogeneities and Surfaces-Small-Slope Approximation (BORIS-SSA) numerical scattering model. The predictions were made using direct measurements of scattering model inputs-specifically, the geoacoustic properties from laboratory analysis of material samples and the grid of surface heights from a touch-trigger probe. BORIS-SSA predictions for the amplitude of the received time series were shown to be accurate with a root-mean-square residual error of about 1 dB, while errors for the scattering strength prediction were higher (2-3.5 dB). The work is part of an ongoing effort to use physical models to examine a variety of acoustic scattering and propagation phenomena involving the ocean bottom.

Background: The ablative potential and toxicity of gemcitabine, administered intravesically in low stage and grade superficial transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), were evaluated., Patients and Methods: Patients with a history of recurrent Ta-T1, GI-G2 bladder TCC were considered eligible for the study. Gemcitabine was administered intravesically at 40 mg/mL concentration (2000 mg in 50 ml saline) in one weekly instillation for 4 consecutive weeks. Fifteen days after the last instillation, patients were submitted to transurethral resection (TUR)., Results: Twenty-six patients were evaluable for toxicity, and 20 were evaluable for response, 6 patients being excluded due to toxicity. A complete response was achieved by 10 out of 20 patients (50%), whereas no response was documented in the remainder. Toxicity leading to treatment interruption was grade 3 in 1 patient and grade 2 in 5 patients., Conclusion: Intravesical gemcitabine administered at 40 mg/mL showed the capability of ablating small volume, superficial TCC in 50% of the population under study, with acceptable tolerability.