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In psychotherapeutic treatment of trauma-affected refugees, it is common that psychologists and language interpreters work together. In this qualitative study, the experiences of interpreters and psychologists are examined to gain insight into factors that enhance and challenge the interaction between the two groups of professionals. Three interpreters and three psychologists working with trauma-affected refugees in Denmark were interviewed about their perceptions of conducting interpreter-mediated psychotherapy (IMP) and their experiences of the interaction between interpreters and psychologists. The interviews followed a semi-structured format and were analyzed according to Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). In the analysis, we found that the role of the interpreter is ambiguous. A neutral and objective interpreter was described as ideal, yet interpreters found it difficult to adhere to strict neutrality and psychologists sometimes also requested a more active engagement of the interpreters. Further, we found that conflicts in the interaction between psychologists and interpreters emerged when the two professionals intervened with each other's areas of expertise. These findings are discussed by including theory concerning therapeutic alliance and interprofessional collaboration., Author(s): Jasmin Rejaye Gryesten [sup.1] [sup.2] [sup.3] [sup.4] , Kathrine Jastrup Brodersen [sup.1] [sup.2] , Laura Glahder Lindberg [sup.2] [sup.5] , Jessica Carlsson [sup.2] [sup.6] , Stig Poulsen [sup.1] Author [...]

Abstract Glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPX3) is one of the key enzymes in the cellular defense against oxidative stress and the hepatocyte growth factor receptor, (MET) has been suggested to be influenced by the GPX3 gene expression. In a previous microarray study performed by our group, Gpx3 was identified as a potential biomarker for rat endometrial adenocarcinoma (EAC), since the expression was highly downregulated in rat EAC tumors. Herein, we have investigated the mRNA expression and Gpx3 and Met in rat EAC by real time quantitative PCR (qPCR), and the methylation status of Gpx3. In addition we have examined the expression of GPX3 and MET in 30 human EACs of different FIGO grades and 20 benign endometrial tissues. We found that the expression of GPX3 was uniformly down regulated in both rat and human EAC, regardless of tumor grade or histopathological subtype, implying that the down-regulation is an early event in EAC. The rate of Gpx3 promoter methylation reaches 91%, where biallelic methylation was present in 90% of the methylated tumors. The expression of the Met oncogene was slightly upregulated in EACs that showed loss of expression of Gpx3, but no tumor suppressor activity of Gpx3/GPX3 was detected. Preliminary results also suggest that the production of H2O2 is higher in rat endometrial tumors with down-regulated Gpx3 expression. A likely consequence of loss of GPX3 protein function would be a higher amount of ROS in the cancer cell environment. Thus, the results suggest important clinical implications of the GPX3 expression in EAC, both as a molecular biomarker for EAC and as a potential target for therapeutic interventions.

Psychometric analyses of different rating scales have shown that the construct validity of depression in relation to patients from other cultural backgrounds than Western is unclear. This calls for more knowledge on the qualitative properties of depression in a transcultural context. The aim of the study was to examine how Arabic speaking patients understand and speak about mental distress, while also exploring to what degree they find depressive symptoms as defined in the ICD-10 and selected rating scales meaningful. Six semi-structured interviews with Arabic speaking patients from Syria, Lebanon and Iraq receiving treatment at a Danish treatment centre were conducted. Data was analysed by the use of thematic analysis. Various Arabic terms in relation to a state comparable to depression were obtained, especially in relation to the core depressive symptoms of 'low mood', 'low energy' and 'loss of interest'. Symptoms regarding guilt and loss of self-confidence were not recognized as a part of a depressive state to the same degree as the other depressive symptoms. Some symptoms, such as somatic complaints, were more accepted to speak openly about than others. It was concluded that the participants in the study generally recognized the depressive symptoms as defined in the ICD-10 and would use comparable Arabic terms to describe mental distress. However, cultural background may influence to what extend depression is accepted to speak about, which should thus be taken into consideration and addressed by mental health professionals. In a clinical setting, this knowledge can be used to include culture specific terms and phrases in the conversations with Arabic speaking patients., Author(s): Hanke Vink [sup.1] , Jessica Carlsson [sup.1] , Stig Poulsen [sup.1] , Erik Vindbjerg [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.425848.7, 0000 0004 0639 1831, Competence Centre for Transcultural Psychiatry, , [...]

Research on long-term pharmacotherapy for trauma-affected refugees is scarce. The purpose of this follow-up study of a randomised trial was to investigate the effects of sertraline compared to venlafaxine in combination with psychotherapy, 6 and 18 months after end of trial. The primary outcome was PTSD symptoms, measured by the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ). The secondary outcomes included: Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25), somatisation items of the Symptoms Checklist-90 (SCL), pain on a visual analogue scale, well-being on the WHO-5, Sheehan Disability Scale, Hamilton Depression and Anxiety scales and Global Assessment of Functioning. Moreover, the shorter version of the Recent Life Events (IRLE) was adopted to obtain information regarding the patients' treatment and life events between the follow-up periods. Out of 195 patients eligible for intention-to-treat analyses during trial, 116 participated in the 6-month follow-up and 97 participated in the 18-month follow-up. The results of our intention-to-treat analyses revealed no significant long-term differences between the groups on the primary outcome assessing PTSD symptoms (HTQ). For the secondary outcomes significant differences were found at the 18-month follow-up in favour of venlafaxine assessing symptoms of anxiety, depression and somatisation (HSCL-25 and SCL), although only in intention-to-treat and not per-protocol analyses. No conclusions could be drawn due to conflicting results between our intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urinary bladder cancer (BC) represents a major health issue, and identifying novel biomarkers for early disease detection and outcome prediction is paramount. It has already been established that the immune system plays a role in tumour initiation and progression in which the inflammatory marker pentraxin 3 (PTX3) might be involved, presenting a variety of functions in different cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate whether plasma levels of PTX3 could be used as a biomarker for patients with BC. Plasma levels of PTX3 were determined in 118 BC patients and 50 controls by ELISA. Patients with BC had significantly higher PTX3 levels compared to controls. The value as a diagnostic biomarker is probably limited, however, since no significant difference in PTX3 levels was seen between patients with non-muscle-invasive BC and controls; they were seen only between patients with muscle-invasive disease and controls. However, the potential value of PTX3 as a prognostic biomarker was indicated by significantly higher PTX3 levels in patients who developed metastatic disease during follow-up compared to patients who did not develop metastatic disease. The conclusions from this study are that plasma levels of PTX3 have limited value as a diagnostic biomarker, although they have potential as a prognostic biomarker for patients with BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of Neurofeedback (NF) to assist individuals in learning to regulate their brain wave activity has shown promising results in reducing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PSTD). However, few studies have focused on the patients' understandings of NF and even fewer explore the perspective of refugees. To evaluate NF treatment for trauma-affected refugees by focusing on their expectations and understanding of NF. This qualitative study was a part of a mixed method study carried out at an outpatient mental health centre in Denmark, offering 34 trauma-affected refugees 12 sessions of NF. In this qualitative study, a subsample of seven participants was interviewed. Using in-depth semi-structured interviews, the participants' thoughts and expectations prior to participating in NF treatment were examined. The analysis was carried out in four steps, using a hermeneutic and phenomenological approach. The analysis resulted in two themes: (1) Rationale and working mechanisms of NF and (2) Motivators for participating in the study. The findings show that NF treatment for trauma affected refugees was challenged by difficulties in communicating the message about the NF equipment capabilities as well as the expected treatment outcome. These challenges included e.g. health professionals' ability to explain and the participants' cultural frame of reference. This is consistent with previous research, showing that compared to the native population, the dissemination of health information to refugees is more difficult and comprehensive. Further studies on how to ensure mutual understanding of the content of NF and expected treatment outcome are needed. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT05055037. Retrospectively registered on the 06/07-2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]