Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Perinatal Phencyclidine Treatment Alters Neuregulin 1/Erbb4 Expression And Activation In Later Life, Teresa M. Du Bois, Kelly Anne Newell, Xu-Feng Huang

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Schizophrenia is a complex and devastating mental disorder of unknown etiology. Hypofunction of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are implicated in the disorder, since phencyclidine (PCP) and other NMDA receptor antagonists mimic schizophrenia-like symptoms in humans and animals so well. Moreover, genetic linkage and post mortem studies strongly suggest a role for altered neuregulin 1 (Nrg1)/erbB4 signaling in schizophrenia pathology. This study investigated the relationship between the NMDA receptor and Nrg1 signaling pathways using the perinatal PCP animal model. Rats (n = 5/group) were treated with PCP (10 mg/kg) or saline on postnatal days (PN) 7, 9 and 11 and were sacrificed …

Predicting Dropout In The First 3 Months Of 12-Step Residential Drug And Alcohol Treatment In An Australian Sample, Frank P. Deane, David J. Wootton, Ching-I Hsu, Peter J. Kelly

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: Premature termination from treatment is a major factor associated with poorer drug and alcohol treatment outcomes. The present study investigated client-related baseline predictors of dropout at 3 months from a faith-based 12-step residential drug treatment program. Method: Data were collected over a period of 14 months from eight residential drug and alcohol treatment programs run by The Australian Salvation Army. The final sample consisted of 618 participants, including 524 men (84.8%) and 94 women (15.2%). Predictor variables of interest were age, gender, primary drug of concern, criminal involvement, psychological distress, drug cravings, self-efficacy to abstain, spirituality, forgiveness of self …

Prevalence Of Smoking And Other Health Risk Factors In People Attending Residential Substance Abuse Treatment, Peter J. Kelly, Amanda L. Baker, Frank P. Deane, Frances Kay-Lambkin, Billie Bonevski, Jenna Tregarthen

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Introduction and Aims. People attending substance abuse treatment have an elevated risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer. Consequently, there have been increasing calls for substance abuse treatment services to address smoking.The current study examined smoking behaviours of people attending residential substance abuse treatment. Additionally, the study examined rates of other potentially modifiable health risk factors for the development of CVD and cancer. Design and Methods. A cross-sectional survey was completed by participants attending Australian Salvation Army residential substance abuse treatment services (n = 228). Rates of smoking, exercise, dietary fat intake, body mass index and depression were identified …

A Comparison Of Treatment Outcomes For Individuals With Substance Use Disorder Alone And Individuals With Probable Dual Diagnosis, Elizabeth K. Cridland, Frank P. Deane, Ching-I Hsu, Peter J. Kelly

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The co-occurrence of substance use and mental health problems, often referred to as dual diagnosis (DD), is increasingly recognised as commonplace within substance abuse treatment programs. Two-hundred and thirty-four individuals from 9 Australian Salvation Army drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs completed a 3-month post-discharge telephone follow-up. Using a cut-off score from the Psychiatric Subscale of the Addiction Severity Index (5th ed.), 66.7% were classified as likely to have DD and 33.3% as substance use disorder only (SUD). Both groups reported comparable and decreased substance use levels at follow-up, yet DD individuals perceived less improvement in substance use problems. Comparable improvements …

Study Protocol: A Randomized Controlled Trial Of A Computer-Based Depression And Substance Abuse Intervention For People Attending Residential Substance Abuse Treatment, Peter J. Kelly, Frances Kay-Lambkin, Amanda Baker, Frank P. Deane, Adam C. Brooks, Alexandra Mitchell, Sarah Marshall, Meredith Whittington, Genevieve A. Dingle

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

"Background: A large proportion of people attending residential alcohol and other substance abuse treatment have a co-occurring mental illness. Empirical evidence suggests that it is important to treat both the substance abuse problem and co-occurring mental illness concurrently and in an integrated fashion. However, the majority of residential alcohol and other substance abuse services do not address mental illness in a systematic way. It is likely that computer delivered interventions could improve the ability of substance abuse services to address co-occurring mental illness. This protocol describes a study in which we will assess the effectiveness of adding a computer delivered …

Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior And Barriers To Treatment To Predict Intention To Enter Further Treatment Following Residential Drug And Alcohol Detoxification: A Pilot Study, Peter J. Kelly, Frank P. Deane, Zoe Mccarthy, Trevor P. Crowe

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There has been limited research examining the impact of clients’ behavioural beliefs on whether they intend to access further treatment following residential drug and alcohol detoxification. Treatment post-detoxification is generally recommended to reduce relapse and for more sustained positive outcomes. The present pilot study examined the extent to which (1) primary components of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), (2) perceived barriers to accessing treatment and (3) the participants’ previous involvement in substance abuse treatment predicted intentions to enter further treatment following residential detoxification. One hundred and sixty eight participants accessing Salvation Army detoxification units in Australia completed a survey …

The Dual Diagnosis Capability Of Residential Addiction Treatment Centres: Priorities And Confidence To Improve Capability Following A Review Process, Harold Matthews, Peter Kelly, Frank P. Deane

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract Introduction and Aims. The Dual Diagnosis Capability of Addiction Treatment (DDCAT) index is used to assess the capacity of substance abuse services to work with individuals with co-occurring mental health problems. The current study aimed to: (i) examine the dual diagnosis capability of residential substance abuse programs in Australia; (ii) identify managers’ perceptions regarding both priorities and confidence for change following the completion of the DDCAT; and (iii) to examine the usefulness of the DDCAT to residential substance abuse programs. Design and Methods. The DDCAT was completed across 16 residential substance abuse units.An external researcher administered and scored the …

Do Spirituality And Religiosity Help In The Management Of Cravings In Substance Abuse Treatment?, Sarah J. Mason, Frank P. Deane, Peter Kelly, Trevor P. Crowe

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of spirituality, religiosity and self-efficacy with drug and/or alcohol cravings. A cross-sectional survey was completed by 77 male participants at an Australian Salvation Army residential rehabilitation service in 2007. The survey included questions relating to the participants’ drug and/or alcohol use and also measures for spirituality, religiosity, cravings, and self-efficacy. The sample included participants aged between 19 and 74 years, with more than 57% reporting a diagnosis for a mental disorder and 78% reporting polysubstance misuse with alcohol most frequently endorsed as the primary drug of concern (71%). Seventy-five percent …

Improved Performance Of Porphyrin-Based Dye Sensitised Solar Cells By Phosphinic Acid Surface Treatment, K Sunahara, Alessandra Allegrucci, S Mori, Naomi A. Lewcenko, Leone Spiccia, Attila J. Mozer, Lynn Dennany, Pawel W. Wagner, David L. Officer

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Chemical surface treatment of porphyrin-sensitised titania films using bis-(4-methoxyphenyl)phosphinic acid after dye adsorption, results in large improvements in DSSC efficiencies which originate primarily from higher short circuit currents. The result was attributed to a positive shift in the TiO2 quasi-Fermi level with simultaneous retardation of charge recombination. High device performances have been achieved even using simplified electrolyte matrices devoid of the common additives, LiI and t-butylpyridine.

Patient And Professional Accuracy Of Recalled Treatment Decisions In Out-Patient Consultations, Timothy C. Skinner, Katharine D. Barnard, Susan Cradock, Tracey Parkin

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Aims  To test the assumption that professional recall of consultation decisions is valid and more accurate than patient recall of consultation decisions.

Methods  One hundred and thirty-four consultations between diabetes specialist nurses and diabetes specialist dietitians in an adult out-patient diabetes service were audiotaped. Patients and professionals were asked to recall the treatment decisions made immediately after the consultation. Patient participants were also asked to complete the Health Care Climate Questionnaire (HCC). Recalled decisions, by patient and professional participants, were then compared with those extracted from the audio tapes, and with each other.

Results  The mean duration of consultations was …

Targeting C-Reactive Protein For The Treatment Of Cardiovascular Disease, Mark B. Pepys, Gideon M. Hirschfield, Glenys A. Tennent, J Ruth Gallimore, Melvyn C. Kahan, Vittorio Bellotti, Philip N. Hawkins, Rebecca M. Myers, Martin D. Smith, Alessandra Polara, Alexander J. A Cobb, Steven V. Ley, J. Andrew Aquilina, Carol V. Robinson, Isam Sharif, Gillian A. Gray, Caroline A. Sabin, Michelle C. Jenvey, Simon E. Kolstoe, Darren Thompson, Stephen P. Wood

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Complement-mediated inflammation exacerbates the tissue injury of ischaemic necrosis in heart attacks and strokes, the most common causes of death in developed countries. Large infarct size increases immediate morbidity and mortality and, in survivors of the acute event, larger non-functional scars adversely affect long-term prognosis. There is thus an important unmet medical need for new cardioprotective and neuroprotective treatments. We have previously shown that human C-reactive protein (CRP), the classical acute-phase protein that binds to ligands exposed in damaged tissue and then activates complement1, increases myocardial and cerebral infarct size in rats subjected to coronary or cerebral artery ligation, respectively2,3. …