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The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a mental health crisis in adolescents. To evaluate resource needs, we attempted to collect data from Children’s Health Fund’s national network of pediatric practices working in resource-limited settings.
Methods
Data could not be collected largely due to other disaster response priorities for our network. Using a STROBE flowchart, we characterize the inability to collect data, provide insight into network challenges, and offer this report as a case example for the limitations in collecting data during disaster response.
Results
Only 2 of 24 programs had the capacity and the data to participate. Causes of non-participation included shifting work toward other aspects of disaster response, limiting collection of data, or lack of human resources to extract it.
Conclusions
Disaster disproportionately affects under-resourced communities. The lack of resources impairs disaster response due to conflicting priorities in those working within these communities.
Cannabis use and familial vulnerability to psychosis have been associated with social cognition deficits. This study examined the potential relationship between cannabis use and cognitive biases underlying social cognition and functioning in patients with first episode psychosis (FEP), their siblings, and controls.
Methods
We analyzed a sample of 543 participants with FEP, 203 siblings, and 1168 controls from the EU-GEI study using a correlational design. We used logistic regression analyses to examine the influence of clinical group, lifetime cannabis use frequency, and potency of cannabis use on cognitive biases, accounting for demographic and cognitive variables.
Results
FEP patients showed increased odds of facial recognition processing (FRP) deficits (OR = 1.642, CI 1.123–2.402) relative to controls but not of speech illusions (SI) or jumping to conclusions (JTC) bias, with no statistically significant differences relative to siblings. Daily and occasional lifetime cannabis use were associated with decreased odds of SI (OR = 0.605, CI 0.368–0.997 and OR = 0.646, CI 0.457–0.913 respectively) and JTC bias (OR = 0.625, CI 0.422–0.925 and OR = 0.602, CI 0.460–0.787 respectively) compared with lifetime abstinence, but not with FRP deficits, in the whole sample. Within the cannabis user group, low-potency cannabis use was associated with increased odds of SI (OR = 1.829, CI 1.297–2.578, FRP deficits (OR = 1.393, CI 1.031–1.882, and JTC (OR = 1.661, CI 1.271–2.171) relative to high-potency cannabis use, with comparable effects in the three clinical groups.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest increased odds of cognitive biases in FEP patients who have never used cannabis and in low-potency users. Future studies should elucidate this association and its potential implications.
Burnout was reclassified in 2019 as an occupational phenomenon in ICD-11. The new condition includes the classic tridimensional definition with symptoms in areas of fatigue/energy depletion, mental distance/cinism and sense of ineffectiveness/lack of accomplishment.
Objectives
To evaluate the knowledge and perceptions of psychiatrists regarding new ICD-11 burnout definition.
To analyse the frequency of burnout symptoms in the psychiatric consultations and among the psychiatrists as healthcare professionals.
Methods
An online survey (designed with Microsoft® Forms) was sent in June 2023 to psychiatrists from three regions of Spain, contacted form local scientific societies. Psychiatrists, currently working, had to consent and answer a brief survey (average time: 2 min 32 sec) of 9 questions regarding the definition of burnout, their experience in clinical practice, their own symptoms and symptoms observed in colleagues.
Results
164 psychiatrists answered, 114 females (69.5%), mean age: 43.61 ± 11.28 years. 48.2% assured they had never used the term Burnout or the ICD codes Z73.0/QD85, whereas a 9.1% used them frequently in clinical practice. 58.5% considered burnout just a condition related to work and a 38.4% either a syndrome or a disorder.
Most psychiatrists referred that their patients exhibited symptoms of the three dimensions. Fatigue was the most common, attended frequently by 79.5% of the surveyed, followed by ineffectiveness (73.1%) and cinism (65.3%).
When reporting their own symptoms, only 16.5% psychiatrists referred not suffering any symptom. The most frequently involved was fatigue (66.5%), then ineffectiveness (56.1%) and cinism (41.5%). 28,7% reported concomitant symptoms of the three dimensions.
70.7% recognized fatigue symptoms in their colleagues, 61% ineffectiveness, 72.6% cinism and 45,5% recognized symptoms from the three dimensions. Only a 7.3% did not identify any of them.
A younger age was related to higher probability of suffering cinism (T:2.546; p=0.012) and ineffectiveness (T:2.900; p=0.004) and to a higher probability of recognizing cinism (T=3,293; p=0,001) an ineffectiveness in others (T=2.355; p=0.020)
Females showed a higher frequency of ineffectiveness symptoms (61.4% vs 44%; χ2:4.274; p=0,029).
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Conclusions
Psychiatrists’ concept of burnout is diverse but the main construct is convergent with ICD definition, not a medical illness but a condition related to work.
The three classic dimensions of burnout are common in clinical conditions and also in the laboral environment of psychiatrists themselves. Psychiatrists tend to recognized more easily burnout in other colleagues, particularly cinism symptoms. Cinism and ineffectiveness appear to be related to younger age that can be associated to an imbalance between work demands and individual resources.
These results highlight the challenge of preventing, detecting and addressing burnout syndrome in psychiatric services.
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is defined as a mental disorder of multifactorial etiology, which presents with mood disturbance, mainly sadness associated with loss of interest or pleasure. Light therapy (LT) is a therapeutic intervention consisting of daily exposure to a light source. This study aims to evaluate the effects of LT on anxious-depressive symptomatology and sleep in a sample of patients diagnosed with depression.
Objectives
This study aims to evaluate the effects of LT on anxious-depressive symptomatology and sleep in a sample of patients diagnosed with depression.
Methods
Prospective case-control study, in which the cases are outpatients diagnosed with MDD and the controls are healthy individuals. Both groups underwent LT sessions and were assessed by means of validated scales, anxiety and depression symptoms before and after LT sessions, as well as changes in sleep patterns through a sleep measuring device.
Results
11 cases and 18 controls were included in the study. Of the participants, 62.1% were female and 37.9% were male. The mean age of the sample was 54.03 □ 11.55 years. There were significant case differences in the pre and post LT scores of the depression scale. There were no significant differences in the changes in superficial, deep and total sleep and in the anxiety scale scores.
Conclusions
In the sample analysed, LT has significant effects on the cases at the level of the depression scale.
This paper investigates the transport of drugs delivered by direct injection into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that fills the intrathecal space surrounding the spinal cord. Because of the small drug diffusivity, the dispersion of neutrally buoyant drugs has been shown in previous work to rely mainly on the mean Lagrangian flow associated with the CSF oscillatory motion. Attention is given here to effects of buoyancy, arising when the drug density differs from the CSF density. For the typical density differences found in applications, the associated Richardson number is shown to be of order unity, so that the Lagrangian drift includes a buoyancy-induced component that depends on the spatial distribution of the drug, resulting in a slowly evolving cycle-averaged flow problem that can be analysed with two-time scale methods. The asymptotic analysis leads to a nonlinear integro-differential equation for the spatiotemporal solute evolution that describes accurately drug dispersion at a fraction of the cost involved in direct numerical simulations of the oscillatory flow. The model equation is used to predict drug dispersion of positively and negatively buoyant drugs in an anatomically correct spinal canal, with separate attention given to drug delivery via bolus injection and constant infusion.
The nematode Anisakis simplex causes anisakidiasis, a disease that often mimics other gastrointestinal diseases. Patients with digestive haemorrhaging, Crohn's disease, digestive cancer and appendicitis were analysed for antibodies to A. simplex. Antibody detection was carried out by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblotting using crude extract (CE) antigen and excretory-secretory (ES) products. Total immunoglobulin (Igs), IgG, IgM, IgA and IgE were studied. The highest percentage was obtained when Igs were tested against CE antigen. A higher percentage of positivity was observed with the appendicitis group. The Crohn's disease group showed the highest levels of IgG against the ES antigen. Using immunoblotting, 24% and 48% of sera from patients with symptoms of Crohn's disease and digestive haemorrhaging, respectively, showed a positive immunorecognition pattern of CE antigen. The prevalence of detectable antibodies against A. simplex is higher in patients with digestive disorders than in the healthy population. A linear correlation was observed between prothrombin activity and Igs-CE, IgA-CE and IgA-ES but not between IgE-CE and the other immunoglobulin levels. Specific IgA is associated with a higher activity index of Crohn's disease. Specific antibodies were observed against A. simplex in patients with appendicitis and gastrointestinal cancer, indicating a higher rate of positivity for IgA.
Faecal smears of patients and Strongyloides stercoralis obtained from dogs were acid-fast stained with Kinyoun and Auramine O staining procedures. Both larval (rhabditiform and filariform) and adult parasites were effectively stained by these methods. Acid-fast staining can serve as a useful procedure for diagnosing strongyloidiasis.
Radiocarbon (14C) dating of sediment deposition around Antarctica is often challenging due to heterogeneity in sources and ages of organic carbon in the sediment. Chemical and thermochemical techniques have been used to separate organic carbon when microfossils are not present. These techniques generally improve on bulk sediment dates, but they necessitate assumptions about the age spectra of specific molecules or compound classes and about the chemical heterogeneity of thermochemical separations. To address this, the Rafter Radiocarbon Laboratory has established parallel ramped pyrolysis oxidation (RPO) and ramped pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) systems to thermochemically separate distinct carbon fractions, diagnose the chemical composition of each fraction, and target suitable RPO fractions for radiocarbon dating. Three case studies of sediment taken from locations around Antarctica are presented to demonstrate the implementation of combined RPO-AMS and Py-GC-MS to provide more robust age determination in detrital sediment stratigraphy. These three depositional environments are good examples of analytical and interpretive challenges related to oceanographic conditions, carbon sources, and other factors. Using parallel RPO-AMS and Py-GC-MS analyses, we reduce the number of radiocarbon measurements required, minimize run times, provide context for unexpected 14C ages, and better support interpretations of radiocarbon measurements in the context of environmental reconstruction.
We investigate the linear Floquet stability of two fluid layers undergoing oscillations in the direction parallel to the flexible wall that separates them. This canonical configuration is inspired by the cerebrospinal fluid flow in the spinal canal of subjects with hydromyelia/syringomyelia. The analysis focuses on the marginal conditions for the onset of instability, and how these depend on the spatial wavelength of the perturbation, and on the values of the control parameters, which are the two channel widths, the Reynolds number and the wall stiffness. Unstable perturbations are found to oscillate synchronous with the base flow. The wavelength of the most unstable perturbation, of the order of the stroke length of the basic oscillatory motion, depends strongly on the wall stiffness, but is only weakly influenced by the channel widths and the Reynolds number. In general, around criticality, it was found that increasing the Reynolds number has a destabilizing effect, and that decreasing the canal widths stabilizes the instability. The wall stiffness on the other hand has a non-monotonic effect, exhibiting an intermediate value for which the instability is maximally amplified. The present analysis is a first step towards a better understanding of the physical mechanisms that govern many (bio)fluid mechanical problems that involve oscillatory flows near compliant walls.
A magnetic composite was prepared by wet-impregnating a powder of a natural zeolite with a magnetic Fe oxide-containing synthetic material. Both starting materials were first characterized with X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and by isoelectric-point using vibrating-sample magnetometry. The synthetic Fe oxide-containing material was characterized as a mixture of magnetite (Fe3O4) and goethite (α-FeOOH). From the Fe Mössbauer analysis, the relative subspectral area for magnetite corresponds to 93(2)%; the remaining spectrum is assignable to goethite. After the impregnation process, magnetite was still identified in the composite material as a magnetic layer surrounding the zeolite particles; no magnetically ordered goethite could be detected. The Mössbauer pattern for this sample indicates a much more complex structure than for the precursor material, based on Fe oxides, with some more altered magnetite and an intense central doublet of (super)paramagnetic Fe3+, probably due to small Fe (hydr)oxides and/or to a residual contribution of Fe-bearing species from the starting zeolite material. The composite preparation procedure also promoted the change of the characteristic A-type zeolite to mordenite. The resulting magnetic composite presented a magnetic coercivity of as much as 0.140 A m−1, at 77 K. The final composite is now being evaluated as an adsorbent: results to date confirm that this novel magnetic material may have applications in the remediation of contaminated water bodies.
At present, no production of zeolites is ongoing in Colombia; thus, because of the high demand in the industrial sector, ~2500 tons is imported annually from other countries such as Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, and the United States. In order minimize the need for these costly imports, the present study sought to evaluate the viability of producing low-silica zeolites through the hydrothermal synthesis of a Colombian kaolin, which contains quartz (40%) and iron-oxide impurities. The kaolin was subjected to a milling process to reduce the particle size to the order of 11 μm, and was heat treated to transform it to metakaolin. Optimization of the synthesis variables (Na2O/SiO2 and H2O/Al2O3 ratios, time, and temperature) was accomplished by applying an experimental design based on the ‘Response Surface Methodology’ technique. The degree of crystallinity and the cation exchange capacity (CEC) were used as response variables. The CEC was determined from the NTC 5167 standard. In addition, the mineralogical composition and the zeolite microstructure were evaluated using techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The results indicated that synthetic type A zeolites with a CEC value of 442 cmol(+)/kg can be obtained from the Colombian kaolin, with the following optimal processing conditions: Na2O/SiO2 molar ratio of 2.7, H2O/Al2O3 molar ratio of 150, temperature = 66°C, and processing time = 8 h. Note that this value (442 cmol(+)/kg) is greater than that reported for an imported commercial zeolite (408 cmol(+)/kg) of the same type, which is currently being used in industry in Colombia. The nationwide availability of the raw material and the quality of the final product present opportunities to make this material available to the Colombian market.
Smoking prevalence in patients with mental illness ranges between two to 4 times higher than general population. This higher prevalence has a multifactorial origin, and some of the possible causes are still unknown.
They have a higher prevalence of tobacco-associated diseases and higher mortality.
Additionally, these patients have greater difficulty in treating and quitting smoking.
A relationship has been found between severity of mental illness and smoking. Risk of suicide seems to be higher in patients with higher tobacco consumption. Schizophrenia is the mental illness that has been most closely related to smoking, with a prevalence close to 90%.
Objectives
The aim of this work is reviewing the current bibliography referring to smoking treatments for patients with mental illness
Methods
A literature search using electronic manuscripts available in PubMed database published during the last ten years and further description and discussion of a single-patient clinical case
Results
The treatment of tobacco dependence in patients with mental illnesses is sometimes waited until there is psychiatric stability, which can take a long time in those cases with more severe mental disorders, which can have negative physical and psychiatric consequences.
The combined treatment of cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacological treatment is the most effective approach. Nicotine replacement therapy can be useful, while combined use of antidepressants or anxiolytics is also recommended.
Bupropion has shown efficacy. In patients with schizophrenia it does not seem to worsen positive symptomatology, but improving the negative one. It should not be used in patients with bipolar disorder or bulimia.
Varenicline has shown efficacy in the general population, but limitations were established in patients with mental illness, although it is the drug that has shown greater efficacy. However, is not currently available in our country.
Cytisine is a drug with limited number of studies in the psychiatric population but it may be a reasonable treatment alternative.
Conclusions
The prevalence of tobacco use in patients with mental illness is higher than the general population, especially in paranoid schizophrenia. The consequences on physical health and the evolution of psychiatric illness are very relevant. Based on above, a multidisciplinary and coordinated management involving psychiatrists and other specialists in the treatment of these patients should be desirable.
Lithium associated with hypercalcemia may mimic a psychiatric condition and be confused for a relapse of bipolar disorder. The etiology seems to be due to a reduced sensitivity of the parathyroid cells to calcium, altering the parathyroid hormone (PTH) response. Lithium as an essential monovalent cation has some structural similarity to calcium (Ca) and can interact with protein receptors. This leads to changes in the inhibitory configuration of PTH and increased serum calcium concentrations, rising the threshold necessary to suppress hormone secretion.
Lithium-induced hyperparathyroidism (HIL) is the main cause of hypercalcemia in these patients.
Objectives
Based on a clinical case of lithium-associated hypercalcemia in a patient with bipolar disorder, review the existing literature and state the needs for periodic monitoring protocols.
Methods
Case report and bibliographical review.
Results
A 38-year-old woman, diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder at the age of 18, has been treated with lithium during which she developed secondary tubulointerstitial nephropathy as an adverse effect. Recently, she requested medical evaluation for constitutional syndrome associated with deterioration of general condition with loss of strength and difficulty in walking. Analytically, mild hypercalcemia was detected, and the study was extended to include Ca and PTH.
Chronic lithium therapy often develops mild hypercalcemia (approximately 10 to 20 percent of patients taking lithium), most likely due to increased secretion of PTH. Lithium can also unmask previously unrecognized mild hyperparathyroidism in patients with adenomas within a few years of starting therapy or induce parathyroid hyperplasia with a chronic use.
The hypercalcemia usually, but not always, subsides when the lithium is stopped. Normalization of serum calcium is more likely to occur one to four weeks post-lithium withdrawal in patients with a relatively short duration of lithium use. It is less likely in patients receiving lithium for more than 10 years.
Regarding the case to be presented, a review of the literature is carried out and the need to propose periodic calcium monitoring protocols is exposed.
Conclusions
Recommendations include determination of serum calcium every 6 months, urinary calcium and creatinine every 12 months, and bone mineral density monitoring every 1 to 3 years. Regular analytical monitoring including total calcium, PTH and vitamin D, would identify patients with a tendency to hypercalcemia so that appropriate measures could be taken. So as chronic treatment with lithium can develop mild hypercalcemia, I consider it necessary to develop periodic monitoring protocols for this adverse effect.
A review of the literature shows how female sex is a crucial factor in the development of ED, being the proportion of women and men 10 to 1 regardless of the location of the sample (Duncan, Ziobrowski & Nicol, 2017) and different clinical subtypes (AN, BN) (Swanson et al., 2011). However, male population has always been less studied, some works find that only 1% of the articles published in AN is aimed at the study of males (Galusca, 2012).
Nowadays it is accepted that the etiopathogenesis of these disorders is multifactorial and in addition to female gender other risk factors have been identified, such as neurobiological alterations, psychological predictors, personality traits, low self-esteem, extreme perfectionism or thinness values focused on body and figure. On the other hand, certain impulsive behaviours such as self-harm, substance use, physical activity or diets are factors that may be confused as predisposing or as symptoms of the pathology itself (Connan et al., 2003, Treasure, Stein and Maguire, 2015).
Recently, Kinasz, Accurso, Kass and Le Grange (2016) have compared the clinical characteristics that differentiate men (59) from women (560) in a sample of children and adolescents between 6 and 18 years-old, finding that males presented an earlier start of the ED and not appreciating differences in the duration of the disease, income, episodes of purgue and psychiatric comorbidity of anxiety, behaviour disorders or impulsivity.
Objectives
The aim of this study was to evaluate gender differences in clinical characteristics, levels of depression, previous obsessiveness and personality dimensions in eating disorders (ED) compared with controls.
Methods
A total of 80 participants was divided into 4 groups, 20 men and 20 women with ED and 20 men and 20 women without ED (healthy control), matched by age and socioeconomic status. The design of the study was case-control, and data was collected through clinical interview and a battery of cuestionaires.
Results
Men with ED only differ in vigorous physical activity (measured by IPAQ) from controls and women with pathology. Regarding personality traits, men and women with ED do not differ among them, although they do differ in novelty search and harm avoidance respect to their controls.
Conclusions
Behaviors such as physical activity in males frame a slightly different way of reducing their discomfort, however, clinical implication indicates that the treatment may be similar according to gender.
age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an ocular disease involving central vision. It is one of the mainreasons of vision loss in people over 50. Seeing non-existing faces or shapes are described in AMD. Symtoms of visualhallucinations that occur as a result of vision loss is known as Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS). These patients haveintact cognition, do not have hallucinations in any other sensory modalities, and retain insight into the unreal nature oftheir hallucinations.
Objectives
the aim of this work is analizing ethiology, demographic characteristics, clinica features and treatment inpatients with AMD and visual hallucinations
Methods
a literature search using electronic manuscripts available in PubMed database published during the last ten years with further description and discussion of a single-patient clinical case.
Results
in different studies in patients diagnosed with AMD, the reported prevalence ranges between 15 up to 39percent. Patients with more significant vision loss may be more likely to experience visual hallucinations. In large caseseries, mean age is 70 to 85 years. Hallucinations can last few minutes or several hours. On average, people experiencethese hallucinations on and off for about 3 years. Those who experience hallucinations tend to see multiple types ofimages, particularly people and faces.The diagnosis of CBS is made when visual hallucinations occur in patients withvision loss in the absence of psychosis, delirium, or other causes.
There is no specific treatment for CBS: optimal ocular care, education and differents techniques to manage hallucinations(changing your lighting conditions and environment, blinking frequently or moving your eyes side-to-side rapidly whilekeeping your head still…). Antidepressants, anticonvulsants, anxiolytics and low-dose of antipsychotics have been used for CBS with positiveeffects in previous reports, but the efficacy of these drugs in the treatment is somewhat questionable and should bereserved for those who exhibit high levels of distress and have not responded to conventional intervention.
Case report: 80-years old woman who presented with a 4 month history of hallucinations and legally blind from AMD. Aworkup for other pathological causes of visual hallucinations was negative.
Conclusions
CBS is an under-recognized and under-reported disorder that involves visual hallucinations in visuallyimpaired individuals. It requires a multidisciplinary approach from neurologists, psychiatrists, general practitioners andophthalmologists. New studies are needed in order to understand its clinical presentation and to improve its management.
Background: Autoantibody testing for suspected autoimmune encephalitis (AIE) in Alberta is commonly performed by Mitogen Dx (MDx) using cell-based assays (CBAs) for cell surface antibodies and line immunoassay (LA) for intracellular antibodies without confirmatory tissue immunofluorescence/immunohistochemistry (TIFF/IHC). Duplicate testing is often sent to Mayo Clinic (MC) verify, resulting in increased costs. Methods: Antibody panel results were obtained for all patients who had testing sent to both MC and MDx from adult hospitals in Calgary between 2018 and 2020. Positive antibodies were evaluated to be pathogenic/non-pathogenic by chart review and expert consensus. Results: Thirty-four individuals had antibody panels completed at both labs. Overall agreement (positive/negative panel) was fair (κ = 0.24, p =.08), even after excluding low-titre GAD65 antibodies through MC (n=9, 26.5%). MDx reported more non-pathogenic serum results, including: anti-SOX1 (n=3), anti-NMDAR (n=2) and anti-GABA(B)R (n=1). All pathogenic antibodies (n=3) were positive in both laboratories. Conclusions: No new pathogenic antibodies were identified by sending duplicate testing to MC; however, a larger number of non-pathogenic antibodies were reported by MDx, likely due to lack of confirmatory TIFF/IHC. Antibody testing for AIE should be done in labs performing confirmatory TIFF/IHC on all CBA/LA results to avoid unnecessary investigations and/or treatments.
Tobacco is a highly prevalent substance of abuse in patients with psychosis. Previous studies have reported an association between tobacco use and schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between tobacco use and first-episode psychosis (FEP), age at onset of psychosis, and specific diagnosis of psychosis.
Methods
The sample consisted of 1105 FEP patients and 1355 controls from the European Network of National Schizophrenia Networks Studying Gene–Environment Interactions (EU-GEI) study. We assessed substance use with the Tobacco and Alcohol Questionnaire and performed a series of regression analyses using case-control status, age of onset of psychosis, and diagnosis as outcomes and tobacco use and frequency of tobacco use as predictors. Analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, alcohol, and cannabis use.
Results
After controlling for cannabis use, FEP patients were 2.6 times more likely to use tobacco [p ⩽ 0.001; adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.6; 95% confidence interval (CI) [2.1–3.2]] and 1.7 times more likely to smoke 20 or more cigarettes a day (p = 0.003; AOR 1.7; 95% CI [1.2–2.4]) than controls. Tobacco use was associated with an earlier age at psychosis onset (β = −2.3; p ⩽ 0.001; 95% CI [−3.7 to −0.9]) and was 1.3 times more frequent in FEP patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia than in other diagnoses of psychosis (AOR 1.3; 95% CI [1.0–1.8]); however, these results were no longer significant after controlling for cannabis use.
Conclusions
Tobacco and heavy-tobacco use are associated with increased odds of FEP. These findings further support the relevance of tobacco prevention in young populations.
While unobscured and radio-quiet active galactic nuclei are regularly being found at redshifts
$z > 6$
, their obscured and radio-loud counterparts remain elusive. We build upon our successful pilot study, presenting a new sample of low-frequency-selected candidate high-redshift radio galaxies (HzRGs) over a sky area 20 times larger. We have refined our selection technique, in which we select sources with curved radio spectra between 72–231 MHz from the GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky Murchison Widefield Array (GLEAM) survey. In combination with the requirements that our GLEAM-selected HzRG candidates have compact radio morphologies and be undetected in near-infrared
$K_{\rm s}$
-band imaging from the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy Kilo-degree Infrared Galaxy (VIKING) survey, we find 51 new candidate HzRGs over a sky area of approximately
$1200\ \mathrm{deg}^2$
. Our sample also includes two sources from the pilot study: the second-most distant radio galaxy currently known, at
$z=5.55$
, with another source potentially at
$z \sim 8$
. We present our refined selection technique and analyse the properties of the sample. We model the broadband radio spectra between 74 MHz and 9 GHz by supplementing the GLEAM data with both publicly available data and new observations from the Australia Telescope Compact Array at 5.5 and 9 GHz. In addition, deep
$K_{\rm s}$
-band imaging from the High-Acuity Widefield K-band Imager (HAWK-I) on the Very Large Telescope and from the Southern Herschel Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey Regions
$K_{\rm s}$
-band Survey (SHARKS) is presented for five sources. We discuss the prospects of finding very distant radio galaxies in our sample, potentially within the epoch of reionisation at
$z \gtrsim 6.5$
.
This paper investigates flow and transport in a slender wavy-walled vertical channel subject to a prescribed oscillatory pressure difference between its ends. When the ratio of the stroke length of the pulsatile flow to the channel wavelength is small, the resulting flow velocity is known to include a slow steady-streaming component resulting from the effect of the convective acceleration. Our study considers the additional effect of gravitational forces in configurations with a non-uniform density distribution. Specific attention is given to the slowly evolving buoyancy-modulated flow emerging after the deposition of a finite amount of solute whose density is different from that of the fluid contained in the channel, a relevant problem in connection with drug dispersion in intrathecal drug delivery (ITDD) processes, involving the injection of the drug into the cerebrospinal fluid that fills the spinal canal. It is shown that when the Richardson number is of order unity, the relevant limit in ITDD applications, the resulting buoyancy-induced velocities are comparable to those of steady streaming. As a consequence, the slow time-averaged Lagrangian motion of the fluid, involving the sum of the Stokes drift and the time-averaged Eulerian velocity, is intimately coupled with the transport of the solute, resulting in a slowly evolving problem that can be treated with two-time-scale methods. The asymptotic development leads to a time-averaged, nonlinear integro-differential transport equation that describes the slow dispersion of the solute, thereby circumventing the need to describe the small concentration fluctuations associated with the fast oscillatory motion. The ideas presented here can find application in developing reduced models for future quantitative analyses of drug dispersion in the spinal canal.