Eight-year prospective follow-up of mentalization-based treatment versus structured clinical management for people with borderline personality disorder.

Participants (n = 134) treated in a randomized controlled trial with mentalization-based treatment (MBT) compared with structured clinical management were followed up for 8 years after starting treatment in terms of the initial primary outcome of the trial-namely, suicide attempts, self-harm, and hospitalization-as well as service use and functional outcomes. Patients in the study group were interviewed by research assistants who remained masked to the original group allocation. Interviews were scheduled annually. Of the original participants, 98 (73%) agreed to participate. Overall, the beneficial outcomes at the end of treatment were maintained in both groups. Over the follow-up period, the number of patients who continued to meet the primary recovery criteria was significantly higher in the MBT group (74% vs. 51%). Use of most other services was comparable. Participants treated with MBT showed better functional outcomes in terms of being more likely to be engaged in purposeful activity and reporting less use of professional support services and social care interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

"We need more big trees as well as the grass roots": going beyond research capacity building to develop sustainable careers in mental health research in African countries.

BACKGROUND: There are substantial gaps in our knowledge regarding the aetiology of mental, neurological and substance use disorders in sub-Saharan Africa, and the cost-effectiveness and scalability of interventions to reduce the burden of these conditions on the continent. To address these gaps, international investment has focussed on building research capacity, including funding doctoral students in African countries, to support development of high quality, contextually relevant interventions. Absent, however, is an understanding of how capacity building feeds into research careers. METHODS: Within a broader mental health research capacity-building initiative (African Mental Health Research Initiative), we conducted 52 qualitative interviews with early-career researchers, policymakers, academics, and service users from four African countries (Ethiopia, Malawi, South Africa, and Zimbabwe) and with international funders of mental health research. The interview guide focused on the research context, planning, and priorities and how respondents perceive research careers and funding. Thematic analysis was applied to the transcribed interviews. RESULTS: Five components of a research career emerged: (i) research positions; (ii) research skills; (iii) funding; (iv) research commitment from African countries; and (v) advocacy. All stakeholders wanted more high-impact African researchers, but few saw a clear, replicable track for developing their careers within universities or their Ministries of Health in their African countries. This stemmed, in part, from the lack of support for infrastructure that enables high-quality research: grants administration, mentorship, university leadership, research culture, and open communication between policymakers and researchers. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the importance of developing research infrastructure alongside capacity-building efforts. International funders should invest in grant management at African universities which would place them at the centre of research initiatives. African universities should prioritise the creation of a research culture by developing and promoting well-defined research tracks for both clinicians and academics, investing in grant management, and raising the profile of research within their institutions.

Multigrid MALDI mass spectrometry imaging (mMALDI MSI).

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI) is an important technique for the spatially resolved molecular analysis of tissue sections. The selection of matrices influences the resulting mass spectra to a high degree. For extensive and simultaneous analysis, the application of different matrices to one tissue sample is desirable. To date, only a single matrix could be applied to a tissue section per experiment. However, repetitive removal of the matrix makes this approach time-consuming and damaging to tissue samples. To overcome these drawbacks, we developed a multigrid MALDI MSI technique (mMALDI MSI) that relies on automated inkjet printing to place differing matrices onto predefined dot grids. We used a cooled printhead to prevent cavitation of low viscosity solvents in the printhead nozzle. Improved spatial resolution of the dot grids was achieved by using a triple-pulse procedure that reduced droplet volume. The matrices can either be applied directly to the thaw-mounted tissue sample or by precoating the slide followed by mounting of the tissue sample. During the MALDI imaging process, we were able to precisely target different matrix point grids with the laser to simultaneously produce distinct mass spectra. Unlike the standard method, the prespotting approach optimizes the spectra quality, avoids analyte delocalization, and enables subsequent hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Graphical Abstract Scheme of the pre-spotted multigrid MALDI MSI workflow.

Diagnosis and management of the patient with suspected dementia in primary care.

Dementia is a complex progressive syndrome characterised by impairment of cognition (including memory, language, visuospatial skills and executive function), changes in personality and diminished activities of daily living. The impact of dementia is enormous and poses a huge challenge to patients, their carers, society at large and health systems around the world, in terms of the direct cost of medical care, social care and unpaid care provided by family members and others. In this review, we combine evidence and clinical opinion, using guidelines and reviews from 2006, 2009 and 2010 to present a practical guide for primary care physicians to the diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care of patients with suspected or diagnosed dementia. This review summarises the epidemiology of dementia syndrome, and offers detailed evidence-based advice on recognition of dementia (including subtyping) and responses to it and its associated symptoms. The roles of neuroimaging and biomarkers are discussed, as are both non-pharmacological and pharmacological therapies.

Multilayer adaptive linear predictors for real-time tracking.

Enlarging or reducing the template size by adding new parts or removing parts of the template according to their suitability for tracking requires the ability to deal with the variation of the template size. For instance, real-time template tracking using linear predictors, although fast and reliable, requires using templates of a fixed size and does not allow online modification of the predictor. To solve this problem, we propose the Adaptive Linear Predictors (ALPs), which enable fast online modifications of prelearned linear predictors. Instead of applying a full matrix inversion for every modification of the template shape, as standard approaches to learning linear predictors do, we just perform a fast update of this inverse. This allows us to learn the ALPs in a much shorter time than standard learning approaches while performing equally well. Additionally, we propose a multilayer approach to detect occlusions and use ALPs to effectively handle them. This allows us to track large templates and modify them according to the present occlusions. We performed an exhaustive evaluation of our approach and compared it to standard linear predictors and other state-of-the-art approaches.

Combinatorial screening of inkjet printed ternary blends for organic photovoltaics: absorption behavior and morphology.

Inkjet printing was used for the preparation of ternary polymer/polymer/fullerene layers for organic solar cell application, as part of a combinatorial setup for the preparation and characterization of thin-film libraries. Poly(phenylene-ethynylene)-alt-poly(phenylene-vinylene) (PPE-alt-PPV) and poly(diketopyrrolopyrrole-alt-fluorene) (P(DPP-alt-F)) were systematically blended with poly(3-octylthiophene) (P3OT) and investigated by UV-vis spectroscopy to improve the photon harvesting by extending the absorption range. The blends with the broadest absorption range (20 and 40 wt % of PPE-alt-PPV and P(DPP-alt-F), respectively) were mixed with mono(1-[3-(methoxycarbonyl)propyl]-1-phenyl)-[6,6]C61 (PCBM). The blend with the low band gap polymer P(DPP-alt-F) revealed the most extended absorption, which ranges over the whole visible spectrum (350 to 750 nm). The mixing with PCBM (ratio 1/3) led to an optimal emission quenching and revealed a smooth film formation. In this contribution, we show that the combinatorial screening using inkjet printing represents an effective, time- and material-saving workflow for the investigation of polymer blend libraries, which is of high interest for the development of new materials for active layers in organic photovoltaics.