Objective. To determine the validity of short Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) versions for the detection of a major depressive episode according to ICD-10 criteria for research and DSM-IV. Design. Cross-sectional evaluation of depressive symptoms in a sample of elderly subjects with short GDS versions. Dierent GDS cuto points were used to estimate the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for the diagnosis of major depressive episode. Internal consistency of the scales was estimated with the Cronbach’s alpha coecient. Setting. Mental Health Unit for the Elderly of ‘Santa Casa ’ Medical School in São Paulo, Brazil. Participants. Sixty-four consecutive outpatients aged 60 or over who met criteria for depressive disorder (current or in remission). Subjects with severe sensory impairment, aphasia or Mini-Mental State score lower than 10 were excluded from the study. Measurements. ICD-10 Checklist of Symptoms, GDS with 15, 10, 4 and 1 items, Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for research and DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. Results. The use of the cuto point 4/5 for the GDS-15 produced sensitivity and specificity rates of 92.7 % and 65.2 % respectively, and positive and negative predictive values of 82.6 % and 83.3 % respectively when ICD-10

comprehensive review of epidemiological studies

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ABSTRACT Background. As part of a longitudinal study, prevalence findings of DSM-IV disorders are presented for a random sample of 3021 respondents aged 14 to 24, with response rate 71 %. Method. Assessment included various subtypes of disorders, subthreshold conditions and disorders that have only rarely been studied in other epidemiological surveys. The computer-assisted MunichComposite International Diagnostic Interview (M-CIDI) was used to derive DSM-IV diagnoses. Results. Substance disorders were the most frequent (lifetime 17n7 % ; 12-month 11n4 %), with abuse being considerably more frequent than dependence. Other mental disorders had a lifetime prevalence of 27n5 % (12-month, 17n5 %) with depressive disorders (16n8 %) being more frequent than anxiety disorders (14n4 %). Eating disorders (3n0 %) and threshold somatoform disorders (1n2 %) were rare disorders. Subthreshold anxiety and somatoform disorders, however, were more frequent than threshold disorders. Prevalence of disorders was equally high for males and females, although specific disorder prevalence varied significantly by gender. The co-occurrence of disorders (co-morbidity) was substantial and was significantly related to greater reductions in work productivity and increased rates of professional helpseeking behaviour. Conclusions. Findings underline that mental disorders in young adults are frequent and impairing, limiting work and education ability and social interaction. Given the fact that adolescents and young adults are in a key phase of socialization in terms of professional career and interpersonal relationships, our findings indicate a considerable risk potential for an accumulation of complicating factors and future chronicity. This paper is the first report of this ongoing longitudinal study about early developmental conditions of mental disorders.

The fatty acid compositions of erythrocyte and plasma polar lipids in children with autism, developmental delay or typically developing controls and the

Abstract Keepon is a small creature-like robot designed for simple, natural, nonverbal interaction with children. The minimal design of Keepon’s appearance and behavior is meant to intuitively and comfortably convey the robot’s expressions of attention and emotion. For the past few years, we have been observing interactions between Keepon and children at various levels of physical, mental, and social development. With typically developing children, we have observed varying styles of play that suggest a progression in ontological understanding of the robot. With children suffering from developmental disorders such as autism, we have observed interactive behaviors that suggest Keepon’s design is effective in eliciting a motivation to share mental states. Finally, in developing technology for interpersonal coordination and interactional synchrony, we have observed an important role of rhythm in establishing engagement between people and robots. This paper presents a comprehensive survey of work done with Keepon to date. Some portions of this paper are modified from content appearing in

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Based on results of ecological studies demonstrating that Vibrio cholerae, the etiological agent of epidemic cholera, is commensal to zooplankton, notably copepods, a simple filtration procedure was developed whereby zooplankton, most phytoplankton, and particulates >20 m were removed from water before use. Effective deployment of this filtration procedure, from September 1999 through July 2002 in 65 villages of rural Bangladesh, of which the total population for the entire study comprised Ϸ133,000 individuals, yielded a 48% reduction in cholera (P < 0.005) compared with the control. C holera is a disease that continues to ravage developing countries and reemerges sporadically elsewhere throughout the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 58 countries have officially reported cholera in 2001, with a total of 184,311 cases and 2,728 deaths (1). However, there were 293,113 cases of cholera worldwide in 1998, with 10,586 deaths. These annual figures of WHO actually represent the tip of the iceberg, because the morbidity and mortality caused by Vibrio cholerae is grossly underreported owing to surveillance difficulties and also for fear of economic and social consequences (2). In fact, several cholera endemic countries, e.g., Bangladesh, are not included in the WHO report. In 1991, after almost 100 years without cholera, outbreaks in 16 Latin American countries resulted in Ϸ400,000 reported cases of cholera and Ͼ4,000 reported deaths (3). That cholera is a waterborne disease has long been known (4-6). Furthermore, surface water has been linked with transmission of cholera since the pioneering work of Snow in 1854 (7). Demonstration of the potential for water to transmit cholera was provided by Koch, who, after Pacini first described the Vibrio (8), isolated and characterized the bacterium, which he named Vibrio comma, and was able to find it in pond water used by an Indian community suffering a cholera epidemic (9). The association of pathogenic vibrios with zooplankton was reported in 1973 by Kaneko and Colwell (10) and of V. cholerae with copepods by Huq et al. in 1983 (11). Commensal occurrence of Vibrio spp. in the copepod gut was demonstrated by Sochard et al. in 1979 (12). A few years later, preferential attachment of V. cholerae to copepod surfaces, egg cases, and the copepod oral region was reported by Huq et al. (11). Extensive data have since been accumulated showing that planktonic copepods play a major role in the multiplication, survival, and transmission of cholera (13-17). That environmental V. cholerae O1 can cause cholera has been established by molecular genetic evidence (18). During spring and late summer in Bangladesh, phytoplankton blooms occur, followed by zooplankton, with heaviest blooms occurring in September and October Village populations of Bangladesh depend on untreated surface water for household use, especially during times of flooding (22). Surface water from ponds and rivers is used by some villagers as a source of drinking water for reasons of taste, convenience, or a local belief that ''quality'' water is ''natural,'' i.e., not chemically treated Although boiling water before drinking is effectively the better practice, because it will kill all waterborne pathogenic microorganisms, it is not used routinely in the villages because fuel wood in rural Bangladesh is both in very short supply and costly. Moreover, during severe flooding, which frequently occurs in Bangladesh, there are geographical areas that experience reduction in the quality of life to mere survival, when even the barest necessities are difficult to obtain and building fires to boil water is simply not possible. It is common practice in villages in Bangladesh to use cloth, frequently a flat, unfolded piece of an old sari, to filter homeprepared drinks. In laboratory experiments employing electron microscopy, we found that inexpensive sari cloth, folded four to eight times, provides a filter of Ϸ20-m mesh size, small enough to remove all zooplankton, most phytoplankton, and all V. cholerae attached to plankton and particulates Ͼ20 m. Laboratory studies showed that sari cloth folded at least four times retained the V. cholerae cells attached to plankton, effectively removing Ͼ99% (Ͼ2 logs) of V. cholerae (30). Nylon net with a mesh size of Ϸ150 m was also successfully used in this study to compare its effectiveness in preventing cholera because it has been used to remove cyclops from drinking water.

Potters for Peace is a US-based NGO that manufactures colloidal silver-impregnated ceramic filters in developing countries, and partners with local NGOs who independently implement safe water programs. This study investigated the intrinsic effectiveness and field performance of the PFP filter by administering a survey to families using the filter, completing water quality analyses of pre- and post-filtration water in rural homes, and investigating the relationship between filtration rate, colloidal silver application, and bacterial inactivation. Results agree with historical data and show that the PFP filter is capable of removing 100 percent of bacterial indicators of disease-causing organisms. Although the ceramic filter alone removes a majority of the indicators, the colloidal silver is necessary to achieve 100-percent removal. However, research in homes indicates that an educational component including safe storage, cleaning procedures, and followup visits is necessary to ensure the intrinsic effectiveness of this filter is matched in the field. Further research on removal rates of protozoa, viruses, and contaminants, and the resistance of the colloidal silver layer to scrubbing, is needed. These results detail that, with an educational component, the PFP filter is an effective and appropriate technology that improves water quality and human health.

Abstract Background Epidemiological studies in Pakistan show high rates of depression in women, while rates of malnutrition in children are also high. This study aimed to determine whether poor maternal mental health is associated with an increased risk of infant undernutrition. Methods Clinic-based case-control study. A total of 172 consecutive infants and their mothers attending for 9-month measles immunization were recruited over a 3-month period. Eighty-two undernourished infants [weight for age below the National Centre for Health Statistics (NCHS)/World Health Organization (WHO) third centile] were matched to 90 controls (weight for age above 10th centile), and their mothers interviewed for mental distress using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (WHO SRQ-20, a psychiatric screening instrument). Infants' exposure to maternal distress (score ≥ 10 on SRQ-20) and other potential risk or protective biological, social, socio-economic and family factors were measured. Results Mental distress determined by WHO SRQ-20 was associated with increased risk of undernutrition in infants (odds ratio 3.91, 95% confidence interval 1. 95-7.86). This association remained significant after controlling for birthweight and social factors. Conclusion Exposure to maternal mental distress is associated with undernutrition in 9-month infants in urban Pakistan. These mothers may represent a group whose children are at higher risk of ill health, and potentially be a specific target for advice on infant care. Early recognition and treatment of mental health problems in mothers may help reduce morbidity and mortality rates in children.