Self-stigma, religiosity, and perceived social support in people with recent-onset psychosis in the Islamic Republic of Iran: Associations with symptom severity and psychosocial functioning.

AIMS: Most evidence on psychosocial factors in recent-onset psychosis comes from high-income countries in Europe, Australia, Canada and the USA, while these factors are likely to differ under varying sociocultural and economic circumstances. In this study, we aimed to investigate associations of self-stigma, religiosity and perceived social support with symptom severity and psychosocial functioning in an Iranian cohort of people with recent-onset psychosis (i.e. illness duration of <2 years). METHODS: We used baseline data of 361 participants (N = 286 [74%] male, mean age = 34 years [Standard Deviation = 10.0]) from the Iranian Azeri Recent-onset Acute Phase Psychosis Survey (ARAS). We included assessments of self-stigma (Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness, ISMI), religiosity (based on Stark & Glock), perceived social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, MSPSS), symptom severity (Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale, PANSS) and psychosocial functioning (clinician-rated Global Assessment of Functioning Scale, GAF, and self-reported World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0, WHODAS 2.0). Descriptive analyses were employed to characterize the study sample. Covariate-adjusted ordinal and multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to investigate cross-sectional associations of baseline ISMI, religiosity and MSPSS with concurrent PANSS, GAF and WHODAS 2.0. RESULTS: Higher self-stigma was associated with poorer self-reported functioning (B = 0.375 [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.186, 0.564]) and more severe concurrent symptoms (B = 0.436 [95% CI: 0.275, 0.597]). Being more religious was associated with poorer clinician-rated functioning (OR = 0.967 [95% CI: 0.944, 0.991]), but with less severe symptoms (B = -0.258 [95% CI: -0.427, -0.088]). Stronger social support was associated with poorer clinician-rated (OR = 0.956 [95% CI: 0.935, 0.978]) and self-reported functioning (B = 0.337 [95% CI: 0.168, 0.507]). CONCLUSION: This study shows that self-stigma, religiosity and perceived social support were associated with symptom severity and clinician-rated as well as self-reported psychosocial functioning in an Iranian cohort of people with recent-onset psychosis. The findings extend previous evidence on these psychosocial factors to one of the largest countries in the Middle East, and suggest that it may be worthwhile to develop strategies aimed at tackling stigma around psychosis and integrate the role of religiosity and social support in mental ill-health prevention and therapy.

Psychosocial disabilities in patients with schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed at revaluating the psychosocial disabilities in schizophrenic patients. METHODS: In an analytic-descriptive setting, schizophrenic patients were evaluated in Razi University Hospital during a one-year period (2009-10). The study group consisted of male and female patients aged 18-65 years, with the onset of disease for a minimum of 2 years and at least one psychological hospitalization in their medical record. The demographic data, as well as the results of the SANS, SAPS, GARF and SOFAS questionnaires were determined in each patient. RESULTS: Two hundred and eight patients, 53 females, and 155 males with the mean age of 36.96±11.55 (18-65) years were enrolled. Vocational, educational, social, familial, and self-hygiene related disabilities were seen in 63.5%, 21.2%, 93.8%, 13.9%, and 48.1% of the patients, respectively. Totally, psychosocial disabilities were reported in 98.1% of these patients. The mean age of the patients with educational or social disabilities was lower. Vocational problems were more common in male patients. Familial and social disabilities were positively related to the severity of positive and negative symptoms, with the predominance of the latter. Positive and negative symptoms were more frequent in patients with social and self-care related disabilities, respectively. The duration of the disease was significantly correlated with the positive symptoms and familial-social disabilities. CONCLUSION: The current study described the high prevalence of psychosocial disabilities in patients with schizophrenia and may have implications for public health interventions.

Older adults employ alternative strategies to operate within their maximum capabilities when ascending stairs.

Older people may operate much closer to their maximum capabilities than young adults when ascending stairs due to their lower maximum musculoskeletal capabilities. The purpose of this study was to establish the joint moment and range of motion demands of stair ascent relative to maximum capabilities in elderly and young adults. Fifteen elderly (mean age 75 years) and 17 young adult (mean age 25 years) participants ascended a purpose-built 4-step staircase with force platforms embedded into the steps and kinematic data was acquired using motion capture. Maximum musculoskeletal capabilities were assessed using a dynamometer. This study showed for the first time that stair ascent approaches the joint moment limits at the ankle in both young and older participants ( approximately 90%). One of the most important and novel findings of this study was that elderly people were only capable of meeting the high demands by adopting a number of alternative strategies not observed in young adults: (i) applying the joint moments differently than young adults across the knee and ankle, (ii) translocating energy from the knee to the ankle, thereby enhancing the ankle joint moment upon maximum demand and (iii) by enabling the plantarflexors to act over a more favourable portion of the moment-angle relation upon maximum ankle joint moment demand. The elderly displayed a more cautious strategy to optimize positional stability during stair ascent, by maintaining a smaller separation between the centre of mass and centre of pressure in the frontal plane. It seems that elderly people may meet the demands of unaided stair ascent by adopting a number of alternative strategies to compensate for their reduced musculoskeletal capabilities.

Influence of light handrail use on the biomechanics of stair negotiation in old age.

The high incidence of falls in older adults during stair negotiation suggests that this task is physically challenging and potentially dangerous. The present study aimed to examine the influence of light handrail use on the biomechanics of stair negotiation in old age. Thirteen older adults ascended and descended a purpose-built staircase at their self-selected speed: (i) unaided and (ii) with light use of the handrails. Ground reaction forces (GRFs) were measured from force platforms mounted into each step and motion capture was used to collect kinematic data. Knee and ankle joint moments were calculated using the kinetic and kinematic data. The horizontal separation between the centre of mass (COM) and the centre of pressure (COP) was assessed in the sagittal and frontal planes. During stair ascent, handrail use caused a different strategy to be employed compared to unaided ascent with a redistribution of joint moments. Specifically, the ankle joint moment (of the trailing leg) was reduced with handrail use, which has previously been shown to approach its limits during unaided stair ascent, but the knee joint moment (of the leading leg) increased. Previous research has shown that a larger joint moment reserve is available at the knee during unaided stair ascent. During stair descent, the ankle joint moment increased with handrail use, this was associated, however, with a more effective control of balance as shown by a reduced COM-COP separation in the direction of progression compared to unaided descent. These results indicate that although the biomechanical mechanisms are different for stair ascent and descent, the safety of stair negotiation is improved for older adults with light use of the handrails.

In vivo gastrocnemius muscle fascicle length in children with and without diplegic cerebral palsy.

The effect of spastic cerebral palsy on in vivo gastrocnemius muscle fascicle length is not clear. Similarity of fascicle lengths in children with diplegia and typically developing children, but shortening of fascicle lengths in the paretic legs of children with hemiplegia compared with the non-paretic legs, are both reported. In the former case, comparisons were made between fascicle lengths normalized to leg length, whereas in the latter case, absolute fascicle lengths were compared. The inherent assumptions when normalizing fascicle length (measured via ultrasonography) were not validated, raising the possibility that inappropriate normalization contributed to the controversy. We used statistical methods to control the potential confounding effect of leg length on fascicle length, and tested the feasibility of the normalization method for a group of 18 children with diplegia (nine males, nine females; mean age 8y 7mo [SD 3y 11mo], range 2-15y; Gross Motor Function Classification System levels II and III) and 50 typically developing children (20 males, 30 females; mean age 9y 1mo [SD 2y 4mo], range 4-14y). Children with diplegia, as a group, had shorter absolute and normalized fascicle lengths (p<0.05) but we could not refute the appropriateness of the normalization method. Other methodological issues (such as sample characteristics) might have contributed to the apparent controversy between the studies.

The demands of stair descent relative to maximum capacities in elderly and young adults.

In this study, we aimed to establish the joint moment and joint range of motion requirements of stair descent and the demands relative to maximal capacities in elderly and young adults. Participants descended a custom-built standard dimension four-step staircase, at their self-selected speed in a step-over manner. Kinetic data were acquired from force platforms embedded into each of the steps and into the floor at the base of the stairs. A motion analysis system was used to acquire kinematic data and joint moments were calculated using the kinematic and kinetic data. Maximum capacities (joint moment and joint range of motion) were assessed using a dynamometer. During stair descent the elderly generated lower absolute ankle joint moments than the young, which enabled them to operate at a similar relative proportion of their maximal capacity compared to young adults (75%). The knee joint moments during stair descent were similar between groups, but the elderly operated at a higher proportion of their maximal capacity (elderly: 42%; young: 30%). Ankle plantarflexion-dorsiflexion angle changes were similar between groups, which meant that the elderly operated at a higher proportion of their maximal assisted dorsiflexion angle. These results indicate that the elderly redistribute the joint moments in order to maintain the task demands within 'safe' limits.

Interactions among end-effectors and movement parameters influence reaction time in discrete, rapid aimed movements.

Two reliable findings in discrete, rapid aimed movements are that reaction time increases with decrease in target diameter (for the short-length movements), and reaction time is not affected by movement length [Journal of Experimental Psychology, Human Perception and Performance 104 (2) (1975) 147]. Participants normally use a short stylus (SS) to tap targets located on either side of a central (aligned with body midline) start-point with no restrictions imposed on the initial posture of the limb or segmental recruitment except as determined by movement conditions. Thus, the effects of movement parameters on reaction time in previous work are potentially confounded with the effect of initial posture of the limb at the start-point, along with order and amount of the contribution of segments recruited in response execution. Two experiments were performed to resolve the confounding between initial posture and recruitment of limb segments. In the first experiment a conventional stylus (pen-like) was employed and the starting position of the limb was aligned either with the body midline or with the participant's right shoulder. The effect of starting position on reaction time was not significant. In the second experiment the starting position was in line with the right shoulder. Two groups participated. One group used a conventional stylus. For the second group a modified (lengthened) stylus was used that permitted initial limb posture and number of limb segments recruited to be held constant across an extended range of movement lengths. When similar sets of limb segments were used, reaction time increased with decreasing movement length and diminishing target diameter. These findings suggest that uncontrolled initial limb posture, uncontrolled order of joint(s) recruitment, and the subsequent inclusion of reaction time values from incompatible sources may, in the final analysis, have confounded previous work investigating movement amplitude and target diameter effects on reaction time.

Continuous fermentation studies with xylos-utilizing recombinant Zymomonas mobilis.

This study examined the continuous cofermentation performance characteristics of a dilute-acid "prehydrolysate-adapted" recombinant Zymomonas 39676:pZB4L and builds on the pH-stat batch fermentations with this recombinant that we reported on last year. Substitution of yeast extract by 1% (w/v) corn steep liquor (CSL) (50% solids) and Mg (2 mM) did not alter the cofermentation performance. Using declared assumptions, the cost of using CSL and Mg was estimated to be 12.5 cents/gal of ethanol with a possibility of 50% cost reduction using fourfold less CSL with 0.1% diammonium phosphate. Because of competition for a common sugar transporter that exhibits a higher affinity for glucose, utilization of glucose was complete whereas xylose was always present in the chemostat effluent. The ethanol yield, based on sugar used, was 94% of theoretical maximum. Altering the sugar ratio of the synthetic dilute acid hardwood prehydrolysate did not appear to significantly change the pattern of xylose utilization. Using a criterion of 80% sugar utilization for determining the maximum dilution rate (Dmax), changing the composition of the feed from 4% xylose to 3%, and simultaneously increasing the glucose from 0.8 to 1.8% shifted Dmax from 0.07 to 0.08/h. With equal amounts of both sugars (2.5%), Dmax was 0.07/h. By comparison to a similar investigation with rec Zm CP4:pZB5 with a 4% equal mixture of xylose and glucose, we observed that at pH 5.0, the Dmax was 0.064/h and shifted to 0.084/h at pH 5.75. At a level of 0.4% (w/v) acetic acid in the CSL-based medium with 3% xylose and 1.8% glucose at pH 5.75, the Dmax for the adapted recombinant shifted from 0.08 to 0.048/h, and the corresponding maximum volumetric ethanol productivity decreased 45%, from 1.52 to 0.84 g/(L.h). Under these conditions of continuous culture, linear regression of a Pirt plot of the specific rate of sugar utilization vs D showed that 4 g/L of acetic acid did not affect the maximum growth yield (0.030 g dry cell mass/g sugar), but did increase the maintenance coefficient twofold, from 0.46 to 1.0 g of sugar/(g of cell.h).

Simultaneous saccharification and cofermentation of dilute-acid pretreated yellow poplar hardwood to ethanol using xylose-fermenting Zymomonas mobilis.

Simultaneous saccharification and cofermentation (SSCF) was carried out at approximately 15% total solids using conditioned dilute-acid pretreated yellow poplar feedstock, an adapted variant of National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) xylose-fermenting Zymomonas mobilis and either commercial or NREL-produced cellulase enzyme preparations. In 7 d, at a cellulase loading of 12 filter paper units per gram cellulose (FPU/g), the integrated system produced more than 3% w/v ethanol and achieved 54% conversion of all potentially available biomass sugars (total sugars) entering SSCF. A control SSCF employing Sigmacell cellulose and a commercial cellulase at an enzyme loading of 14 FPU/g achieved 65% conversion of total sugars to ethanol.

Foreperiod length, but not memory, affects human reaction time in a precued, delayed response.

The effect of foreperiod length on reaction time in memorized (MM) and nonmemorized (NM), precued, delayed responses was investigated. Six subjects participated in one long and one short foreperiod schedule testing session. An aiming task, using elbow supination/pronation, in response to a visual stimulus was employed. In the MM condition, target spatial information was available for a fraction of the foreperiod duration. In the NM condition, target information was available continuously until the subject attained the target position. Subjects responded with a significantly longer latency in the long foreperiod schedule. Within each foreperiod schedule, the shortest foreperiod resulted in significantly longer reaction time. However, the absolute value of foreperiod did not have a major effect on reaction time latency. Memorization and nonmemorization conditions did not affect reaction time.

Cofermentation of glucose, xylose, and arabinose by mixed cultures of two genetically engineered Zymomonas mobilis strains.

Cofermentation of xylose and arabinose, in addition to glucose, is critical for complete bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass, such as agricultural residues and herbaceous energy crops, to ethanol. A factorial design experiment was used to evaluate the cofermentation of glucose, xylose, and arabinose with mixed cultures of two genetically engineered Zymomonas mobilis strains (one ferments xylose and the other arabinose). The pH range studied was 5.0-6.0, and the temperature range was 30-37 degrees C. The individual sugar concentrations used were 30 g/L glucose, 30 g/L xylose, and 20 g/L arabinose. The optimal cofermentation conditions obtained by data analysis, using Design Expert software, were pH 5.85 and temperature 31.5 degrees C. The cofermentation process yield at optimal conditions was 72.5% of theoretical maximum. The results showed that neither the arabinose strain nor arabinose affected the performance of the xylose strain; however, both xylose strain and xylose had a significant effect on the performance of the arabinose strain. Although cofermentation of all three sugars is achieved by the mixed cultures, there is a preferential order of sugar utilization. Glucose is used rapidly, then xylose, followed by arabinose.

Continuous culture studies of xylose-fermenting Zymomonas mobilis.

The continuous cofermentation performance of xylose-fermenting Zymomonas mobilis at 30 degrees C and pH 5.5 was characterized using a pure-sugar feed solution that contained 8 g/L glucose and 40 g/L xylose. Successful chemostat start up resulted in complete utilization of glucose and greater than 85% utilization of xylose, but was only reproducibly achieved using initial dilution rates at or less than 0.04/h; once initiated, cofermentation could be maintained at dilution rates of 0.04 to 0.10/h. Whereas xylose and cell-mass concentrations increased gradually with increasing dilution rate, ethanol concentrations and ethanol yields on available sugars remained approximately constant at 20-22 g/L and 80-90% of theoretical, respectively. Volumetric and specific ethanol productivities increased linearly with increasing dilution rate, rising from approx 1.0 each (g/L/h or g/g/h) at a dilution rate of 0.04/h to approx 2.0 each (g/L/h or g/g/h) at a dilution rate of 0.10/h. Similarly, specific sugar-utilization rates increased from approx 2.0 g/g/h at dilution rate 0.04/h to approx 3.5 g/g/h at dilution rate of 0.10/h. The estimated values of 0.042 g/g for the maximum Z. mobilis cell-mass yield on substrate and 1.13 g/g/h for the minimum specific substrate utilization rate required for cellular maintenance energy are within the range of values reported in the literature. Results are also presented which suggest that long-term adaptation in continuous culture is a powerful technique for developing strains with higher tolerance to inhibitory hemicellulose hydrolyzates.

Cloning and expression of full-length Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase I cDNAs in Escherichia coli.

The process of converting lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol via fermentation depends on developing economic sources of cellulases. Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase (CBH) I is a key enzyme in the fungal cellulase system; however, specific process application requirements make modification of the enzyme by site-directed mutagenesis (SDM) an attractive goal. To undertake SDM investigations, an efficient, cellulase-free host is required. To test the potential of Escherichia coli as a host, T. reesei CBH I cDNA was expressed in E. coli strain GI 724 as a C-terminal fusion to thermostable thioredoxin protein. Full-length expression of CBH I was subsequently verified by molecular weight, Western blot analysis, and activity on soluble substrates.