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The electrochemical activity of maricite NaFePO4 can be triggered by ball milling with carbon. The origin of such activation is still unclear, as this material does not exhibit open channels for Na+ diffusion. Herein, a characterisation approach including several complementary techniques is applied to investigate the effect of ball milling on the structure of maricite NaFePO4 prepared by hydrothermal synthesis, and how these modifications influence its electrochemical mechanism. Our findings confirm the partial nano-sizing and amorphisation of maricite, going along with the oxidation of the iron centres during ball milling, and allow the elucidation of different mechanisms contributing to the total capacity delivered during (de)sodiation. Although only 15% of the capacity is explained by Na+ insertion/extraction in/from bulk crystalline NaFePO4, 75% of the total capacity is attributed to the simultaneous Fe3+/Fe2+ redox activity. The remaining 25% extra-capacity does not seem to be related to Fe3+/Fe2+ activity, but rather to surface activity, associated with the new species formed during ball milling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Mexicana de Endocrinología, Metabolismo y Nutrición is the property of Publicidad Permanyer SLU and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Aggression has been linked to several psychiatric disorders. None of the available instruments validated in Mexico is able to classify aggression as impulsive or premeditated. The Impulsive/Premeditated Aggression Scale (IPAS) is a self-report instrument designed to characterize aggressiveness as predominately impulsive or premeditated. Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the validity and reliability of the IPAS in a sample of Mexican psychiatric patients. Method: A total of 163 patients diagnosed with affective, anxiety or psychotic disorder were included. A principal-component factor analysis was performed to obtain construct validity of the IPAS impulsive and premeditated aggression subscales; convergent validity as well as internal consistency of subscales were also determined. Results: The rotated matrix accounted for 33.4% of the variance. Significant values were obtained for convergent validity and reliability of the IPAS subscales. Conclusion: The IPAS is an adequate instrument, which might be used to differentiate the type of aggressive behavior in Mexican psychiatric patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgound: In developing countries, little is known about public recognition and beliefs about treatment of severe mental disorders, both emergent key elements in reducing stigma and the gap of treatment of such patients. It has been proposed that they may be related to gender and perception of patient's aggressiveness and/or dangerousness. Aims: To assess mental illness recognition and beliefs about treatment of schizophrenia, and to determine their relationship with perception of patient's aggressiveness/dangerousness and gender of the perceiver in a community sample of Mexico City. Methods: A convenience sample of 1038 subjects responded to a questionnaire that assesses all variables after reading a vignette of a patient with paranoid schizophrenia. Results: Women were 1.88 times more likely to recognize the presence of mental illness and considered psychiatric interventions as the most adequate treatment of symptoms. In contrast, non-psychiatric interventions were more often considered by men (64.7%). Responders who recognize mental illness were more likely to perceive the patient as dangerous, which was related to the suggestion of more restrictive interventions. Conclusions: It is necessary to direct special efforts to increase mental health literacy among men. The general public needs objective information about aggression and dangerousness in anti-stigma campaigns among developing countries similar to Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The inability to experience pleasure, anhedonia, is recognized as al hallmark symptom of depression. A 14-item, self-report scale developed for the assessment of hedonic capacity: the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS) has proved to be a reliable and valid psychometric instrument. Objective: Because there are no versions of the scale in other languages, our objective in this study was to translate the instrument into spanish and to determine if the new version maintained the validity and reliability of its original english version. Methodology: The scale was translated into spanish and after reaching final consensus applied to a group of depressed patients participating in a pharmacological trial. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) was also applied for comparative purposes. Results: Our results demonstrate that the SHAPS in its spanish version maintains the validity and reliability level of the original english version. A moderate internal consistency was determined by Cronbach alpha value of 0.77. Conclusion: our results demonstrate the the spanish version of the SHAPS has validity and reliability similar to its original version, and thus it represents a good alternative to evaluate anhedonia in spanish-speaking populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Salud Mental is the property of Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatria Ramon de la Fuente and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Salud Mental is the property of Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatria Ramon de la Fuente and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Bipolar spectrum disorder which includes bipolar I, bipolar II, ciclothymia and bipolar disorder, not otherwise specified often goes unidentified, underdiagnosed, or confounded with major depressive disorder. There are several considerations that try to explain this frequent omission. One crucial aspect is that, the first mood episode at onset is often a depressive one, and some bipolar patients present multiple depressive episodes prior to their first episode of mania. Additionally, long-term evaluation of patients with bipolar I or II disorders, reveal that depressive symptoms occur more common than manic or hypomanic symptoms. Another plausible explanation is that bipolar patients frequently underreport symptoms of mania. Thus it is not surprising to find that in many patients, may elapse about 10 years from the first time for they seek treatment until a clinician finally makes the correct diagnosis. As a consequence, such patients may suffer poorer outcomes, subsyndromal symptoms and a course of illness marked by more sever symptoms, chronic mood episodes, increased recurrence and more impaired psychosocial functioning. The correct diagnosis of bipolar disorder becomes an important and crucial issue, if it is considered that there is a current trend to understand better this affective illness as a spectral disorder. This concept helps to identify different subtle subtypes of bipolarity which often are unrecognized, by means of the actual diagnostic criteria. This diagnostic reformulation is based on the phenomenological manifestations of the entities, as well as in other specific clinical aspects, such as comorbidity, predominant episodes, genetic information and treatment response to among others. Thus, correct recognition of bipolar disorder will bring an important benefit to patients and may reduce erratic treatments and improve outcome. Several epidemiological studies report that the global prevalence of bipolar I disorder is around 1%, in the general population, but when considering all subtypes included in the bipolar spectrum, this lifetime prevalence increases up to 5%. As a consequence of an incorrect diagnosis, patients are often undertreated or receive an erroneous pharmacological treatment, mainly with antidepressants, which complicate outcome by promoting manic or hypomanic reactions and may have devastating consequences in the further clinical intents to stabilize the disorder. In order to increase the recognition of an illness, the correct utilization of a clinical screening procedure is mandatory. Several screening instruments exist for a variety of psychiatric disorders. However, only until recently, some of them have been developed specifically to identify bipolar disorders. The Mood Disorder Questionnaire, was the first screening instrument specifically developed to detect bipolar cases in clinical settings. It is a self-report, single-page, paper and pencil inventory than can be quickly and easily scored by a physician, a nurse or by trained medical staff assistance. It is composed of 13 questions which are answered with a positive or negative fashion, elaborated from the bipolar diagnostic criteria and clinical experience and inquires about possible manic symptoms. In the original report of its development and validation, it was concluded that it is a useful screening instrument for bipolar spectrum disorders, with a good sensitivity (0.73) and a very good specificity (0.90). Method The questionnaire has been translated to other languages and has been used in non-clinical settings, with very good standards of performance.… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Chronic exercise has been shown to have therapeutic effects in panic disorder (PD). The mechanism of these effects is unknown. Acute exercise reduces the effect of a panic challenge in healthy volunteers. Such an effect has not yet been demonstrated in PD patients. The present study aimed at exploring the antipanic effects of acute exercise on a 35% CO2 panic provocation in treatment-naïve PD patients to further elucidate the mechanisms of the beneficial effects of exercise on panic. Methods: Eighteen PD patients performed either moderate/hard exercise or very-light exercise before a 35% CO2 challenge in a randomized, between-group design. The reactivity to CO2 was assessed with the Visual Analogue Anxiety Scale and the DSM-IV Panic Symptom List. Results: Panic reactions to CO2 were smaller in patients that performed moderate/hard exercise in contrast to those that performed very-light exercise. Increments in both measurements and panic rates were consistently reduced by intense exercise. Limitations: Since this study focuses on the acute effects of exercise on CO2 sensitivity in patients with PD, the results of repetitive exercise sessions on the rate of spontaneous panic attacks and overall symptoms are warranted. The small sample size and other limitations are addressed. Conclusions: Exercise reduced the panicogenic effects of a CO2 challenge. In addition to its therapeutic potential, exercise may also be useful as a laboratory maneuver with heuristic value in experimental research into the mechanisms of antipanic treatment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introduction: The inability to experience pleasure, anhedonia, is recognized as al hallmark symptom of depression. A 14-item, self-report scale developed for the assessment of hedonic capacity: the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS) has proved to be a reliable and valid psychometric instrument., Objective: Because there are no versions of the scale in other languages, our objective in this study was to translate the instrument into spanish and to determine if the new version maintained the validity and reliability of its original english version., Methodology: The scale was translated into spanish and after reaching final consensus applied to a group of depressed patients participating in a pharmacological trial. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) was also applied for comparative purposes., Results: Our results demonstrate that the SHAPS in its spanish version maintains the validity and reliability level of the original english version. A moderate internal consistency was determined by Cronbach alpha value of 0.77., Conclusion: our results demonstrate the the spanish version of the SHAPS has validity and reliability similar to its original version, and thus it represents a good alternative to evaluate anhedonia in spanish-speaking populations.