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We are a group of teachers who have independently participated in the CERN Beamline for Schools (BL4S) competition with teams of high school students from our schools between 2014 and 2021. All of our teams won the competition, and therefore our students had the opportunity to perform their proposed experiments at a particle accelerator. The experience of mentoring a team has been extremely beneficial to our professional development. In this paper, we will describe the effects that the participation in BL4S had on us, on our students and how it has impacted our approach to teaching STEM subjects.

Background: Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS) is characterized by cyclic vomiting and compulsive need to take hot showers in the context of chronic cannabis use. Physicians' lack of knowledge of CHS often results in a diagnostic delay of several years. The purpose of this article is to describe CHS in order to enable physicians, and more particularly psychiatrists, to diagnose it as quickly as possible and thus avoid unnecessary additional invasive examinations. Subjects and methods: Bibliographic search for scientific articles published between 2004 and 2019 in the Cochrane, Medline, PubMed, and Psycinfo databases. Key words used were "hyperemesis", "cannabis", "cannabinoid". Results: CHS is associated with chronic cannabis use and typically manifests as incoercible cyclical vomiting, diffuse abdominal pain, and relief of symptoms by taking hot showers. Patients suffering from CHS generally visit emergency departments very regularly and undergo numerous additional examinations, both invasive and unnecessary. Since no organic cause can explain these symptoms, these patients are referred to the psychiatry department. The only curative treatment is the complete cessation of cannabis use. Conclusion: CHS is an under-diagnosed pathology because it is little known to physicians. This syndrome has unique clinical characteristics. Early recognition of CHS avoids repeated visits to the emergency room and unnecessary follow-up examinations.

Background: Cariprazine is a new atypical antipsychotic drug approved for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. Methods: we searched the published randomized controlled-trials (RCT) to review cariprazine efficacy and tolerability using the databases (PubMed, EUDRACT, ClinicalTrials.gov and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) for cariprazine role in managing the following psychiatric conditions (schizophrenia, bipolar mania, bipolar depression and major depressive disorder). A meta-analysis was conducted using the identified 13 clinical trials to assess efficacy using with the outcomes: positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS), clinical global impressions - severity of Illness (CGI-S), young mania rating scales (YMRS), Montgomery Asberg depression rating scale (MADRS) and Hamilton rating scale for depression (HAM-D). The risk of discontinuation due to adverse effects and common side effects were examined. Results: The mean difference in change from baseline for PANSS was -6.23 (95% Confidence Interval (CI) -7.18, -5.28) favoring cariprazine treatment (p

This article was mainly written by a team of high school students that have won the CERN Beamline for Schools (BL4S) competition in 2017. They had some help from professional scientists, in particular Branislav Ristic. The team had proposed to set up an experiment to search for elementary particles with a fractional electric charge. This paper describes the preparation of their proposal, experimental setup, detectors and data analysis throughout the search for such particles using a 10GeVc-1 proton beam with a fixed iron target. It was clear to the team that the chance for finding such particles in a relatively simple experiment was minimal but that by doing this experiment they would learn a lot about experimental physics. Due to large amounts of noise, the result of the experiment is inconclusive. Further experimentation to search for these hypothesized particle is encouraged., The Physics Educator, 2 (2)

In previous studies we showed the interaction between depression and immunity. We observed that psychological stress seems to be important in this association. In this review we try to understand if psychological stress and immunity have similar or specific impact on the other psychiatric disorders. More generally we review literature to understand if specific immune alterations exist between the main psychiatric diagnoses.We studied the literature in search of variabilities between the different psychiatric disorders in terms of immunity especially inflammation. We search on Pubmed, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES and Sciencedirect articles with the keywords immunity or inflammation and depression, anxious disorders and schizophrenia.Prevalence of inflammation in psychiatric disorders seems to be between 21 to 42%. Psychiatric disorders are correlated with elevated levels of CRP, pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β and TNFα) and anti-inflammatory factors (TGF β, IL-10, sIL-2, IL-1RA). IL-6 in childhood were associated with subsequent risk of depression or psychotic disorders in early adulthood and in a dose dependent manner.We found similar immune processes through the different disorders. Variations in cytokines levels seem paralleling various stages of the illness and treatment. Inflammatory markers are linked with severity and resistance to treatment and with subsequent risk of disorders.Some inflammatory parameters could be considered as risk factor, severity, resistance, trait or state markers of a psychiatric disorder. Other studies are necessary to a better understanding of clinical implications of this heterogeneity.

International audience; Objective We aimed to compare health-related quality of life (HRQL) during and after HCV treatment in patients receiving pegylated-interferon (PEG-IFN)-containing therapy (including boceprevir or telaprevir - ANRS CO20 CUPIC cohort) who subsequently switched to PEG-IFN-free regimens (sofosbuvir + ledipasvir with or without ribavirin (RBV) - SIRIUS trial).Methods Two analyses were performed. The first compared physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) HRQL (MOS SF-12) scores during treatment between CUPIC and SIRIUS. The second compared PCS and MCS scores after treatment end between CUPIC and SIRIUS. The analyses used linear regression mixed models adjusted for pre-treatment HRQL scores, gender and age at each visit.Results Among patients enrolled successively in both studies, 43 (corresponding to 212 HRQL assessments) and 43 (82 HRQL assessments) were eligible for the “during” and “post" treatment analyses, respectively. In the “during-treatment” analysis, we found both significantly higher PCS and MCS values during PEG-IFN-free treatment than for PEG-IFN-containing treatment. In the “post-treatment” analysis, results showed significantly higher MCS values after PEG-IFN-free treatment than after PEG-IFN-containing treatment. No significant difference was found for PCS in “post-treatment analysis”.Conclusions These results highlight an improvement in both physical and mental HRQL during HCV treatment, but no major improvement in physical HRQL after treatment end, when comparing PEG-IFN-free regimens with PEG-IFN-containing regimens. This suggests that in the PEG-IFN-free regimens era, screening and comprehensive care of comorbidities and residual somatic symptoms during treatment, and especially after HCV clearance, are still needed to improve patient outcomes.

Since 2010, the Belgian mental healthcare system has been involved in a structural reform: the main objective of this reorganisation is to foster the reintegration in the community of patients suffering from a mental health disorder. In parallel, the role of mental health professionals has evolved these last years: from a strictly clinical role, to the preoccupation with the rehabilitation of social competencies such as enhancing patients' abilities to return to work. The aim of this paper is to explore, specifically for patients hospitalized for a common mental health disorder, the predictive variables of returning to work within 6 months after hospitalization (RTW6).Our sample was extracted from routinely collected data during the patients' hospital stay (10 days) at the Psychosomatic Rehabilitation Day Centre of CHU Godinne. A sample of 134 patients participated in our study. Those patients were contacted 6 months after their hospitalization to assess resumption of work.We found that a patient's sociodemographicand socioeconomic variables, and depressive symptoms at the beginning of hospitalization were not predictive of return to work within 6 months (RTW6). On the other hand, duration of absence from work before hospitalization and the diagnosis of a major depression in particular were negatively associated with RTW6, whereas improvement of depressive symptoms during hospitalization stay was positively associated to RTW6.Our study identified the diagnosis of major depression and the duration of absence from work before hospitalization as two important risk factors impeding a fast return to work for patients hospitalised for a common mental health disorder. As the preoccupation with patients' abilities to return to work is now on the agenda of mental health professionals, special support and supervision should be dedicated to the more vulnerable patients.

The effects of depression on the immune system are well known. Recently, depression as a consequence of an immune disorder has received increased research attention. Here, we test the hypothesis that the depression-immunity association is a buffer zone between external stimuli, defence mechanisms, and intrinsic determinants.Five hundred and forty-nine patients presenting with a major depressive episode completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Lazarus and Folkman's coping inventory, and the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale (FACES III). Lymphocyte subtypes were quantified using flow cytometry.Links between immunity and depression were confirmed: levels of CD3, CD4 and CD8 cells accounted for 12.7% of the variance in the BDI (p0.001, linear regression; LR). The depression-immunity pairing interacted with family dynamics, coping mechanisms, and gender. Dynamics in the family of origin explained 11.4% of the BDI score (LR) and 1% of CD3 and CD4 levels (p0.001, Pearson's r). Coping mechanisms were associated with 12% of the BDI score (p0.001, LR), and the capacity of distancing oneself from one's problems was associated with 10.3% of CD3, CD8, and CD16/56 levels (p0.01, LR). BDI scores in women were 2.9 points higher than in men (p0.01, t=2.379) and associated with a greater risk of immune depression (p0.001, odds ratio=0.5).External determinants (family), coping mechanisms, and internal determinants (such as gender) simultaneously influence a depression-immunity pairing. Sometimes these factors act more on the mood component, sometimes more on the immune component. The two components also interact closely with each other.

It is important to perform psychiatric assessments of adult patients who are candidates for cochlear implants both to screen them for psychiatric disorders and to assess their understanding and compliance with the procedure. Deafness is a factor of difficulty for conducting in-depth psychiatric interviews, but concomitant blindness may make it impossible.After a description of Norrie disease, a rare disease in which blindness and deafness may occur together, we propose a case report of a patient suffering from the disease and who consulted in view of a cochlear implant.Early information on cochlear implants appears to be necessary before total deafness occurs in patients suffering from Norrie disease. An inventory of digital communication tools that can be used by the patient is also highly valuable.Research should be supported for a more systematic use of psychiatric assessments prior to cochlear implants. In the special case of Norrie disease, we recommend early screening for mental retardation and related psychotic disorders and, depending on the patient's level of understanding, preventive information on the benefits and limits of cochlear implants before total deafness occurs.

Antidepressant medication efficacy remains a major research challenge. Here, we explored four questions: whether noradrenergic antidepressants are more effective than serotonergic antidepressants; whether the addition of 100 mg acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) changes antidepressant efficacy; whether the long-term efficacy differs depending on the antidepressant and the addition of ASA; and whether serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are clinically informative.In a two-year study, forty people with major depressive disorder were randomly assigned to groups that received an SSRI (escitalopram) or an SNRI (duloxetine), each group received concomitant ASA (100 mg) or a placebo. Sociodemographic data were recorded and patients under went regular assessments with the Hamilton depression scale (HDS) and clinical global impression (CGI) scale. Serum levels of BDNF were measured four times per year.There was no significant difference in efficacy between the two antidepressants or between antidepressant treatment with and without ASA. However, subgroup comparisons revealed that the duloxetine + ASA (DASA) subgroup showed a more rapid improvement in HDS score as early as 2 months (t=-3.114, p=0.01), in CGI score at 5 months (t=-2.119, p=0.05), and a better remission rate (χThis suggest two hypotheses: either a noradrenergic agent combined with ASA is more effective in treating depression than a serotonergic agent alone, or the level of serum BDNF before treatment is a precursor marker of the response to antidepressants. Further research is needed to test these hypotheses.

Previous study shows that cellular immunity and family relationships are each correlated with the severity of depression and suggests that the psycho-immunological theory should look at the relation between immunity and family life. The aim of the present study based on the same sample is to investigate if similar correlations exist with humoral immunity.498 inpatients with major depressive disorder were enrolled in an open-label trial. In addition to a socio- demographic questionnaire, they completed Olsen's FACES III and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). We performed a classic blood test, a plasma cortisol assay at 8 a.m., 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and a dexamethasone suppression test (Carroll test). Electrophoresis is used for separation and quantification of serum proteins.There is no correlation between humoral immunity and the severity of depression. We found a correlation between cohesion of the family of the origin and beta-globulins (r=-0.147; p=0.016), and C4 (r=0.124; p=0.039). Between adaptability of the family of the origin and cortisol levels at 8 a.m. (r=0.122; p=0.008). We showed a correlation between both C4 (r=-0.263; p=0.000) and beta-globulins (r=-0.148; p=0.013) with CD8. There is a correlation between cortisol at 8 a.m. and CD4 (r=-0.095; p=0.033).Humoral immunity has no correlation with depression but has multiple interactions with cellular immunity which is correlate with the severity of the depression. The psycho-immunological theory is reinforced. It is quite original to find correlation between the family functioning and C4 or beta-globulins while the link with cortisol strengthens some studies about psychological stress, cortisol and immunity. Future studies should examine which kind of family or relation are implicated and how the family functioning and immunity could be connected.

In the context of health care in Belgium, the psychological or psychiatric opinion of a multidisciplinary team is required in the assessment of bariatric surgery candidates. In clinical practice, a wide variety of liaison psychiatry assessment methods exist.On the basis of a post-operative psychiatric comorbidity case report and a literature review on "liaison psychiatry and bariatric surgery" we aim to identify opportunities for the systematization of bariatric pre-surgery psychiatric evaluation.The bariatric pre-surgery evaluation must be rigorous and founded on evidence-based medicine. On this basis, specific psychiatric criteria may be defined and researched in assessments. The issue remains for psychiatric comorbidities that develop after surgery and for which a preventive framework should be sustained in the liaison psychiatry approach.The aim of the research is to support an improved systematization of the psychological assessments of pre-operative bariatric surgery candidates. We believe that systematic evaluation tools should be defined for the identification of possible absolute or relative contra-indications and that a preventive approach to post-operative psychiatric disorders should be included in this assessment.

Exposure to stress modifies the humoral and cellular immunity by the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. On one hand, this psycho-immunological theory allows the analyse of links between immunity and depression. On the other hand, the correlation between the immune response, the clinical expression in major depressive disorder (MDD) and the gender was proven. Our analysis evaluates the influence of the gender and the level of depression severity on the cellular immune response associated with it.549 patients with MDD were enrolled in an open-ended survey. In addition to a socio-demographic questionnaire, they completed the Beck Depression Scale (BDS). Flow cytometry was used to assess lymphocyte subsets.On average, the intensity of the depression (ID) among women is higher by 2.9 points (t=2.379*). In terms of immunity, there are correlations between this ID and absolute values of CD3 (r=-0.127***), CD4 (r=-0.189***), CD8 (r=0.089*) and CD16 and 56 (r=0.129*). In terms of gender, there are significant differences for the percentage of total lymphocytes (m=37.84, w=35.59; t=2.646***), CD3 (m=2.08, w=1.9; t=2.676*), CD4 (m=1.44, w=1.3; t =2.522*), CD8 (m=0.62, w=0.57; t=2.182*). A linear regression model including both variables supports the existence of these differences in the percentage of total lymphocytes (Adjusted R2=0.025***) and CD8 (Adjusted R2=0.012*).If the link between depression and the cellular immune response is a known fact, our study proves that women have a stronger immune response than men in terms of percentage of total lymphocytes mobilized and cytotoxic lymphocytes. The volume of natural killer lymphocytes is independent of the gender but connected to the ID. Based on those results, psycho-immunological theories could potentially be rethought in the light of immunity being at least partially dependent of the gender.

In a previous study, we investigated the risk of admission to emergency (ER) of depressed patients prior to their hospitalization in psychiatry in comparison with hospitalized patients transferred from the consultations department (Cdpt). In the present study, we compare among the same patients variables affecting the intensity of depression in each group.All patients with Major depressive disorder admitted in our department through emergencies (N=146) or consultations (N=2172) between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2012 were included in an open study. They completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), analogical visual scales about stress levels (in professional, social, family, married life, over the past year and the past month), the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control and the Olson Family Adaptation and Cohesion Scale and the Ways of coping.The depression (t=1.438; p=0.90) is similar in both samples. Although some variables such as gender, internality, coping mechanisms and stress factors influence the intensity of depression in both groups of patients (linear regression p0.000, r=0.593), other factors play a role only in either one or the other group. The factors of patients' age, number of children, elements of family dynamics, couple life, and the belief in luck do influence the intensity of depression only in patients hospitalized through Cdpt (linear regression p0.000, r=0.366). The intensity of depression of patients admitted through ER, is specifically dependent on the number of collateral factors (p=0.045, r=0.304), the number of living relatives (p=0.036, r=0.276) and the belief in the power of others (p=0.022, r=-0.16).Although Both samples are comparable in terms of intensity of depression, patients admitted through the Cdpt are more dependent on the quality of family relationships whereas those coming from emergencies are most influenced by their concrete social and family situation. Alongside these specific variables it remains that stress and coping mechanisms account for the largest percentage of variance of the intensity of depression.

Aim: Until the 1980s, due largely to prejudice, post-menopausal women were believed to experience significantly less sexual desire and thus to have sexual intercourse less often than before menopause. Since the 1990s, this type of prejudices seems to have decreased. The aim of our study is to examine the sexuality of post-menopausal women by comparing it to same aged men’s sexual behaviour and the importance of sexuality in their life. Methods: A sample of 1,526 women and 1,151 men aged 55 and over. Results: Female subjects reported having sexual intercourse as often as women in the general population (once a week for 64% of them). The same proportion of women as men consider that a successful sexual life: is essential for a successful couple life (90%), needs continuous creativity (80%), has a deep positive impact on their well-being (87%). For most of them (82%), a satisfying sex life is possible only if there is a deep love relationship. 55% say they have never met sexual problems. The main complaints cited are vaginal dryness (45%) and a lack of desire (42%). Only 20% of those who had sexual problems report that age and time passing by are responsible for their troubles. In second place, they mention stress (19%), followed by relationship problems, and nervous breakdown (13%). Conclusion: Our study suggests that nowadays, there is no marked difference between post-menopausal women and men’s sexuality either in terms of frequency, or in terms of its importance in their life. Whenever physical problems linked to sexuality arise, they are more often attributed to stress added to relationship problems rather than to ageing. This study shows once again how sexuality is influenced by prejudices.

Objective: To show how the interaction of the medical preventive discourse with the changes of children's position relatively to the adult environment and the discourse on equal opportunities puts young people in a situation of lack of differentiation. This lack of differentiation causes violence. Means: From epidemiologic data on the health of young people, a certain number of behaviors in disfavor of health were put forward. Through techniques either of risk prevention or of health promotion, the medical profession models young people behaviors in terms of "safe" and standard. Unfortunately, this modeling proves relatively ineffective and generates at risk behaviors, for example, in sport. On the other hand, the loss of legitimacy of adults in regard to the rights of children leads the latter to meet difficulties in building their own identity. In these contexts, speaking of equal opportunity of access to goods sets up a series of objects of consumption as signs of the identity (PC, laptops MP3, Ipod, cell phone...). Not to have them is not to exist and this becomes a source of violence. Results: The increase of behaviors at risk and delinquent behaviors is the result of a whole mechanisms which does not any more allow young people to build differences between them. It is these interindividual differences that is at the base of the psychic identity. Conclusion: Promoting health through educating to pleasures, increasing between adults' coherence and establishing groups of young citizens seem to us as the elements that would make possible the re-establishment of a truly human dimension. © 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

[Revisiting the «Tanguy» phenomenon: about retarded self-sufficiency in our post-adolescent population.] Financial, affective and health retarded autonomisation is now increasing in our post-adolescent population. Parents as well as parents-in-law are often disappointed with such a stagnation-process. The aim of the present paper is to propose - from an etymological standpoint - a provocative (pro-vocare) high lightening of such a phenomenon, which is clearly family-determined, even if sociologic and economic aspects are also co-existing. © Medecine et Hygiene. Tous droits reserves pour tous pays.

Social inequality as a social and economic phenomenon has become an issue of common interest in Europe and other societies worldwide, mainly after the recent global financial and economic crisis that occurred in 2008. The increasing gap observed between socioeconomically advantaged and disadvantaged people has caused intensive debates in politics, social sciences and in the field of public health. Today, poverty is considered as a major variable adversely influencing health. In this paper we will discuss the link between poverty and mental health.We conducted a literature search focusing on three main objectives: (I) to investigate the definition of "poverty"; (II) to determine the association between poverty and major mental health problems; and (III) to discuss the extent to which poverty could be both a cause and a consequence of mental health.We identified a total of 142 relevant papers, published between 1995 and 2014, only 32 were retained. Main findings are summarised in this paper.Poverty can be considered as a risk factor for mental illness. Yet the relation between poverty and mental health is complex, without direct causation, and bidirectional. As poverty has severe consequences not only on health but also on the whole society, combating poverty should be placed high on the political agenda.