Patients with chronic forms of depression should be offered tailored psychotherapeutic treatments that address their specific needs and deficits. Combination treatment with psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy is the first-line treatment recommended for CD. More research is needed to develop more effective treatments for CD, especially in the longer term, and to identify which patients benefit from which treatment algorithm.

We propose an integrated model of learning demands, work-related resources, and job stressors, which incorporates core assumptions of work design in predicting processes of learning and performance as well as health impairment. The model was tested in a heterogeneous sample of 830 employees using structural equation modeling. Empirical results largely support theoretical assumptions. Learning demands and work-related resources were positively related to intrinsic motivation and creative performance. Job stressors and low work-related resources were predictive for health impairment. The suggested tripartite taxonomy reconciles inconsistent research findings on the impact of work characteristics. The model provides practical guidance for work analysis and design by clarifying relationships between established work characteristics, job performance, and worker health.

These findings support an association between the social hormones OT and AVP and schizophrenia. We suggest that OT metabolism may be altered in schizophrenia, but other possible causes for decreased plasma OT levels in schizophrenia patients include decreased OT synthesis, mRNA expression, and translation. Especially the 'autistic' symptoms of schizophrenia seem to be closely linked to an altered metabolism of OT, the 'attachment' hormone.

No abstract

The Lung Clearance Index (LCI) is superior to spirometry in detecting early lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF) and correlates with structural lung changes seen on CT scans. The LCI has the potential to become a novel outcome parameter for clinical and research purposes. However longitudinal studies are required to further prove its prognostic value. Multi-center design is likely to facilitate realization of such studies. Therefore the aim of the present study was to assess multi-center feasibility and inter-center variability of LCI measurements in healthy children and adolescents. Comparative measurements were performed in unselected patients with CF to confirm previous single-center results. LCI measurements were performed in eight centers using the EasyOne Pro, MBW Module (ndd Medical Technologies, Zurich, Switzerland). The overall success rate for LCI measurements was 75.5%, leaving 102/151 measurements in healthy volunteers and 139/183 measurements in patients with CF for final analysis. Age ranged between 4 and 24 years. Mean LCI (range of means among centers) was 6.3 (6.0-6.5) in healthy volunteers and thus normal. Inter-center variability of center means was 2.9%, ANOVA including Schffé procedure demonstrated no significant inter-center differences (P > 0.05). Mean LCI (range of means among centers) was 8.2 (7.4-8.9) in CF and thus abnormal. Our study demonstrates good multi-center feasibility and low inter-center variability of the LCI in healthy volunteers when measured with the EasyOne Pro MBW module. Our data confirm published LCI data in CF. However, central coordination, quality control, regular training, and supervision during the entire study appear essential for successfully performing multi-center trials.