Perceptions of sex offenders about treatment: satisfaction and engagement in group therapy.

Surveying the views of sex offender clients can help ensure that treatment is relevant and responsive to client needs. The purpose of this exploratory study is to elicit sex offender clients' perceptions of their experiences in treatment in order to better understand the components of treatment perceived to be helpful in preventing reoffense. Samples (N = 338) of male sex offenders in outpatient group therapy are found to be generally satisfied with treatment services and have positive perceptions of treatment effectiveness. Offenders in treatment value the role of group therapy, and they find accountability, victim empathy, relapse prevention, and "good lives" concepts to be most helpful in managing their behavior. Their engagement in group therapy is assessed using the Group Engagement Measure, and a positive correlation is found between engagement and treatment satisfaction. Eliciting client opinions about the helpfulness of program content and process, and adjusting treatment protocols accordingly, is consistant with the principles of risk, need, and responsivity, a model recommended for therapeutic interventions with criminal offenders.

Ion channel screening.

Ion channels are attractive targets for drug discovery with recent estimates indicating that voltage and ligand-gated channels account for the third and fourth largest gene families represented in company portfolios after the G protein coupled and nuclear hormone receptor families. A historical limitation on ion channel targeted drug discovery in the form of the extremely low throughput nature of the gold standard assay for assessing functional activity, patch clamp electrophysiology in mammalian cells, has been overcome by the implementation of multi-well plate format cell-based screening strategies for ion channels. These have taken advantage of various approaches to monitor ion flux or membrane potential using radioactive, non-radioactive, spectroscopic and fluorescence measurements and have significantly impacted both high-throughput screening and lead optimization efforts. In addition, major advances have been made in the development of automated electrophysiological platforms to increase capacity for cell-based screening using formats aimed at recapitulating the gold standard assay. This review addresses the options available for cell-based screening of ion channels with examples of their utility and presents case studies on the successful implementation of high-throughput screening campaigns for a ligand-gated ion channel using a fluorescent calcium indicator, and a voltage-gated ion channel using a fluorescent membrane potential sensitive dye.

The relationship between victim age and gender crossover among sex offenders.

Some child molesters abuse children of both genders. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between gender crossover and victim age. The authors hypothesized that offenders who molested children of both genders would be more likely to have very young victims and that offenders who molested very young children would be more likely to abuse children of both sexes than offenders with older victims. The sample consisted of 362 sex offenders being considered for civil commitment as sexually violent predators in Florida. Data were collected from file reviews. The relationship between victim age and gender crossover was examined using chi-square and multivariate logistic regression analyses. The proportion of offenders with victims of both genders significantly increased as the victims' ages decreased, and sex offenders with preschool-age victims were most likely to have abused both boys and girls. A sex offender with a victim 6 years of age or younger had more than 3 times the odds of having perpetrated sex crimes against both genders than a sex offender with only older victims. Sex offenders with victims of both genders had more than 3 times the odds of having preschool victims. The presence of a major mental illness increased the odds of gender crossover more than threefold. Pedophilia increased the odds of having victims younger than 6 more than 11-fold. Implications for practice are discussed.

Factors predicting selection of sexually violent predators for civil commitment.

This study investigated the degree to which independent variables predicted civil commitment selection in a sample of 450 sexual offenders evaluated for civil commitment as "sexually violent predators" under Florida's Jimmy Ryce Act. Using logistic regression, this study examined the relationship between the dependent variable, commitment recommendation, and several sets of independent variables. Results revealed that the statistically significant predictors of recommendations for sex offender civil commitment were diagnoses of pedophilia and paraphilia not otherwise specified (NOS), psychopathy, actuarial risk assessment scores, younger age of victim, and nonminority race (R2 = .88). Discriminant function analysis confirmed that these variables correctly predicted commitment recommendations in 90% of cases. Sex offenders recommended for commitment consistently met the criteria set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court in Kansas v. Hendricks (1997): They suffered from a mental abnormality predisposing them to sexual violence, and risk assessment determined that they were likely to reoffend.

Risk assessment in child sexual abuse cases.

Despite continuing improvements in risk assessment for child protective services (CPS) and movement toward actuarial prediction of child maltreatment, current models have not adequately addressed child sexual abuse. Sexual abuse cases present unique and ambiguous indicators to the investigating professional, and risk factors differ from those related to physical abuse and neglect. Incorporation of research on risk factors specifically related to sexual offender recidivism into existing CPS risk assessment models may improve the ability to assess the risk of future sexual maltreatment to children. This article reviews the literature on risk factors for sexual offense recidivism and discusses their relevance and application to CPS assessment models. An evidence-based model for assessing risk in child sexual abuse cases is proposed.

Europium-labeled melanin-concentrating hormone analogues: ligands for measuring binding to melanin-concentrating hormone receptors 1 and 2.

We investigated the use of Eu3+ chelate-labeled analogues of melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) as ligands for both human MCH receptors (MCHR1 and MCHR2). The analogues employed were Ala17 MCH, S36057 (Y-ADO-RC*MLGRVFRPC*W, where ADO=8-amino-3,6-dioxyoctanoyl and *=disulfide bond), and R2P (RC*MLGRVFRPC*Y-NH2). The peptides were readily labeled on the alpha-amino residue with the Eu3+ chelate of N1-(p-isothiocyanatobenzyl)-diethylenetriamine-N1,N2,N3,N3-tetraacetic acid and then purified by reverse-phase fast-performance liquid chromatography at neutral pH to maintain Eu3+ chelation. Both labeled Ala17 MCH and S36057 had high affinity for MCHR1 ( Kd = 0.37 and 0.059nM, respectively) while Eu3+ -labeled S36057 and R2P had high affinity for MCHR2 ( Kd = 0.16 and 0.10nM, respectively). Labeled Ala17 MCH had little demonstrable binding affinity for MCHR2. Eu3+ -labeled S36057 and R2P were full agonists at MCHR1 when assessed by measurement of agonist-stimulated GTPgamma(35)S binding. Competition binding experiments with both MCHR isoforms, a series of previously characterized alanine scan MCH analogues, and a recently identified nonpeptide MCHR1-selective antagonist T-226296 confirmed the expected receptor selectivity. These studies further extend the utility of Eu3+ chelate time-resolved fluorescence for the development of high-sensitivity, nonradioactive receptor binding assays and demonstrate the need to select the optimal ligand for labeling.

Development and comparison of two nonradioactive kinase assays for I kappa B kinase.

In response to diverse stimuli, the transcription factor NF-kappaB is activated by the IKK kinase complex containing two kinases (IKKalpha and IKKbeta) that phosphorylate IkappaB, an inhibitory protein of NF-kappaB. The phosphorylation of IkappaB results in ubiquitination and degradation of IkappaB, allowing NF-kappaB to translocate to the nucleus where it regulates its target genes. To elucidate the role of IKK in the NF-kappaB signaling pathway, we have developed and characterized two quantitative, sensitive, and nonradioactive assays for evaluating IKKbeta activity: a dissociation-enhanced lanthanide fluorescence immunoassay called DELFIA and a homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay called LANCE. We show that the two assays have similar sensitivity and Michaelis constants (Km) for adenosine 5'-triphosphate and substrate; however, the LANCE format was far more efficient and easier to perform. Additionally, the assays were validated with the known kinase inhibitor K252a and several other kinase inhibitors, which showed that the IC(50) values of the two assays were comparable. In summary, both assays are quantitative, sensitive, reproducible, and amenable to high-throughput screening with improved waste management over radioactive assays.