Environmental factors in breast cancer invasion: a mathematical modelling review.

This review presents a brief overview of breast cancer, focussing on its heterogeneity and the role of mathematical modelling and simulation in teasing apart the underlying biophysical processes. Following a brief overview of the main known pathophysiological features of ductal carcinoma, attention is paid to differential equation-based models (both deterministic and stochastic), agent-based modelling, multi-scale modelling, lattice-based models and image-driven modelling. A number of vignettes are presented where these modelling approaches have elucidated novel aspects of breast cancer dynamics, and we conclude by offering some perspectives on the role mathematical modelling can play in understanding breast cancer development, invasion and treatment therapies.

A preliminary investigation of corpus callosum and anterior commissure aberrations in aggressive youth with bipolar disorders.

OBJECTIVE: Although behavioral deficits in bipolar disorder (BPD) are well described, the specific brain white matter (WM) disruptions have not been completely characterized, and neural mechanisms underlying dysfunction in BPD are not well established, particularly for youth with BPD and aggression. This preliminary study utilized diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate commissural tracts (corpus callosum [CC] and anterior commissure [AC]) in youth with BPD, because disruption of interhemispheric communication may contribute to the emotional deficits that are characteristic of the illness. METHOD: DTI was used to investigate WM in 10 youth (7-17 years of age) with BPD and 10 typically developing age-matched controls. Tract-based spatial statistics voxel-wise analysis was used to compare fractional anisotropy (FA) of the two groups. We specifically focused on five subdivisions of the midsagittal CC as well as on the decussation of AC, which connects the temporal lobes. Exploratory correlations between FA values and life history of aggression scores were calculated for the BPD group. RESULTS: Youth with BPD had significantly lower FA values in the callosal genu and AC. FA values in the AC were negatively correlated with a life history of aggression in the BPD group. CONCLUSIONS: These results contribute to a growing literature implicating a role for the genu of the CC in BPD and are the first to report WM variations in the AC of children with BPD. Taken together with the correlational data for aggression and the role of the AC in emotional processing, our data provide preliminary evidence for a possible association between the structural integrity of the WM of the AC and aggression in pediatric BPD.

Treatment of culturally diverse children and adolescents with depression.

This article is written for the practitioners treating depression in ethnic minority youth. It will review the context in which services are delivered to these youth: Researchers have recognized persistent ethnic differences in terms of utilization of services and unmet need. Furthermore, when ethnic minority youth do receive pediatric mental health care, the services that they receive may differ from those given to White patients. The reasons for these discrepancies have been examined in numerous studies, and have included contextual variables (economics, availability, and accessibility of services), patient variables (differences in prevalence or manifestation of the disorder, cultural beliefs and attitudes, preferential use of alternative or informal services, health literacy, and adherence), and provider variables (referral bias and patient-provider communication). Information about the differences between White and minority youth in the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of the antidepressant response is still limited. There are significant challenges for developing evidence-based guidelines that inform practice with these youth, hinging on both the underrepresentation of ethnic minority groups in clinical trials, and the great variability in biological and cultural characteristics of individuals in ethnic minority categories. Awareness on the part of the practitioner of the cultural variables that influence help-seeking and ongoing utilization of mental health services may aid in the engagement, effective treatment, and retention of ethnic minority children and adolescents with depression. However, given the great heterogeneity that exists within any cultural grouping, clinicians will need to integrate information about cultural patterns with that obtained from the individual patient and family to inform optimal practices for each patient. This article is written to enhance awareness on the part of the practitioner as to the variables that influence psychiatric care for depression in culturally diverse youth. The mental health needs of minority youth are not well served: They are treated less frequently, and when they are treated, the services they receive are less frequently adequate. The reasons that have been proposed for the disparities in their care, particularly with regard to diagnosis and treatment for depression, will be reviewed. They include contextual factors (such as economics, insurance, and other variables affecting the availability of services) patient and family factors (such as prevalence, symptom presentation, and values and beliefs that influence whether patients are referred to and avail themselves of services), and provider factors (such as referral bias and patient-provider communication, which affect whether patients engage and stay in treatment). The implications for the practitioner treating ethnic minority youth with depression will be discussed. Culture, as used in this article, refers to the common values, beliefs, and social behaviors of individuals with a shared heritage. Some aspects of culture that are likely to influence service utilization include health beliefs, particularly regarding models of mental illness, and level of stigma toward mental health treatment, which are frequently shared by individuals in a cultural group. However, some caveats for the explanatory potential of "culture" should be kept in mind. Conventions for naming groups vary between investigators and over time (e.g., the restriction of the category "White" into "White NonHispanic," is quite recent). Although heterogeneity is assumed within a named cultural or racial group, the terms Hispanic, Asian, and African-American incorporate subgroups can be very different in linguistic, historical, and geographical ancestry (e.g., Stewart 2008 ), and each group incorporates individuals who may not share any components of their historical heritage. Even among those with historical ties, values, beliefs, and social behaviors can vary according to the extent to which they identify with the mainstream culture. Social class frequently creates a "culture" of its own, with individuals in the same social class across traditional cultural groupings sharing disparities in care, and many beliefs and values. Individuals are likely to belong to numerous "cultures," and may not share specific typical behaviors or beliefs with any of them.

Somatic items in the assessment of depressive symptoms in pediatric patients with diabetes.

Depression inventories contain somatic items which may be related to disease rather than to depression in individuals with chronic illness. Adolescents with type 1 diabetes (n = 151) and medically well controls (n = 68) completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) which includes somatic and cognitive/affective symptoms. Diabetes patients reported higher levels of all depressive symptoms than controls; the discrepancy was equivalent for somatic and cognitive/affective symptoms. For diabetes patients, somatic and cognitive/affective symptoms did not correlate with indices of disease control except for number of diabetes-related hospitalizations, where the correlations were equivalent. In participants with diabetes and in controls, somatic and cognitive/affective symptoms were strongly correlated with each other. These findings were not moderated by level of depressive symptoms. Our study suggests that the somatic items on the CES-D do not confound the measurement of depressive symptoms in young people with type 1 diabetes.

Outpatient diagnosis and clinical presentation of bipolar youth.

INTRODUCTION: Many children and adolescents in the community do not fit the classic Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) criteria for Bipolar Disorder, Type I., and bipolar disorder, not otherwise specified (BPNOS) is often the "catch all" diagnosis. Significant research has been conducted to better understand the phenomenology of the spectrum of bipolar disorder; however, there are presently different operational definitions for bipolar disorder, in both clinical and research settings. A recent study, The Course and Outcome of Bipolar Youth (COBY) provided preliminary validation for diagnosing BPNOS. Using these COBY research definitions for BPNOS, we examined the clinical presentation and the prior history of psychotropic medication usage of youth with BPI vs. BPNOS presenting to an outpatient clinic. METHODS: The initial evaluation consisted of a direct clinical interview with the parent(s) and the patient. Standardized rating scales such as the Young Mania Rating Scale and the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms were used to assess current mood states. The Clinical Global Impressions Scale-Severity was used to assess the overall functioning of bipolar youth. RESULTS: Age, comorbidities, and family histories of 68 bipolar youth in the clinic are similar to what other studies have reported. BPNOS youth have significant functional impairment which is comparable to the BPI youth. Both bipolar groups are equally likely to have similar prior exposure to psychotropic medications. DISCUSSION: BPNOS is a serious illness the diagnostic guidelines for which are still debatable. Until further clarification of this diagnosis, the COBY definitions for BPNOS can be used in a clinic. The use of stringent criteria for diagnosing the bipolar spectrum disorders allows for careful differential diagnoses of psychiatric illnesses.