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Objective: Adult and children attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) share similar symptoms and responses to drugs such as methylphenidate (MPH). Yet, in Europe, these drugs remain unlicensed for adults. We aimed to assess the effects of an acute MPH challenge on the four dimensions concentration, impulsivity, tension, and general well‐being in ADHD adults, and identify predictors of improvement. Methods: Therapeutic Drug Monitoring was performed to measure MPH plasma levels. A Visual Analogue Scale was administered to patients before and after the acute MPH challenge to measure self‐reported changes in the four dimensions. Results: After the acute MPH challenge, our 71 patients showed significant improvement in concentration and tension. The MPH challenge dose correlated with lower patients' age, greater side effects, increased concentration (p =.008) and decreased tension (p =.001). At multiple linear regression MPH plasma levels and absence of postdose side effects predicted concentration improvement, MPH plasma levels predicted tension improvement. MPH plasma levels were significantly higher in patients who reported an improvement in concentration, tension, and impulsivity compared to nonimprovers (p's from.001 to.004). Conclusions: These findings point to the efficacy of MPH challenge in improving concentration and tension in adult ADHD, thus emphasizing the need for a broader treatment access for these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an estimate of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO2 in Europe for the years 2001–2007. It is derived with a data assimilation that uses a large set of atmospheric CO2 mole fraction observations (∼70 000) to guide relatively simple descriptions of terrestrial and oceanic net exchange, while fossil fuel and fire emissions are prescribed. Weekly terrestrial sources and sinks are optimized (i.e., a flux inversion) for a set of 18 large ecosystems across Europe in which prescribed climate, weather, and surface characteristics introduce finer scale gradients. We find that the terrestrial biosphere in Europe absorbed a net average of −165 Tg C yr−1 over the period considered. This uptake is predominantly in non-EU countries, and is found in the northern coniferous (−94 Tg C yr−1) and mixed forests (−30 Tg C yr−1) as well as the forest/field complexes of eastern Europe (−85 Tg C yr−1). An optimistic uncertainty estimate derived using three biosphere models suggests the uptake to be in a range of −122 to −258 Tg C yr−1, while a more conservative estimate derived from the a-posteriori covariance estimates is −165±437 Tg C yr−1. Note, however, that uncertainties are hard to estimate given the nature of the system and are likely to be significantly larger than this. Interannual variability in NEE includes a reduction in uptake due to the 2003 drought followed by 3 years of more than average uptake. The largest anomaly of NEE occurred in 2005 concurrent with increased seasonal cycles of observed CO2. We speculate these changes to result from the strong negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation in 2005 that lead to favorable summer growth conditions, and altered horizontal and vertical mixing in the atmosphere. All our results are available through [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurements of atmospheric methane and other greenhouse gases are routinely carried out at the island of Lampedusa (35. 5°N, 12. 6°E), in the Mediterranean Sea. The CH4 mixing ratio record obtained during the period June 1995–September 2005 shows a distinct annual cycle characterized by a maximum in March and a minimum in late summer. The cycle peak-to-peak amplitude is about 30ppb. In the period of investigation the CH4 growth rate (GR) shows two positive peaks, the first in 1998 with 19ppbyr−1, and the second at the end of 2001 with 14ppbyr−1. A sharp minimum of −13ppbyr−1 occurs in April 2000. The GR remains close to zero after mid-2002. The evolution of methane GR and global temperature anomaly appears well correlated (R=0. 71). The methane removal by reaction with OH, acting both on a global and on smaller scales, seems to play a large role. Significant differences exist among the GR at stations located within or close to the Mediterranean basin, indicating that regional and smaller scale processes must be taken into account to explain the methane evolution. The weekly measurements have been combined with backward airmass trajectories to study the relationship between CH4 mixing ratio and transport. On average, the methane mixing ratio in airmasses from Eastern Europe is about 8ppb higher than in airmasses from Western Europe, 15ppb higher than in airmasses from oceanic regions, and about 20ppb higher than in airmasses from Africa. Among the airmasses from Africa, those from Northern Algeria display the largest CH4 mixing ratio, possibly because of emissions from gas and oil production and leakage from the gas pipelines. A North-to-South latitude gradient in CH4 mixing ratio is also apparent. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]