BackgroundIn 2008, 5 years after the Liberian civil war ended, there were an estimated 340,000 orphans in Liberia, 18 % of the total child population of the country. Given that children make up half the population and that these children experienced significant trauma and loss both through direct exposure to the war and then to the Ebola epidemic, and indirectly as a result of the trauma experienced by their parents, the recovery of these children is essential to the recovery of the nation as a whole. The goal of this research was to identify factors contributing to resilience among youth in post-conflict Liberia. Resilience was defined as evidence of adaptive functioning and psychological health.MethodsSeventy-five young people (age 13–18) in the capital city of Monrovia, Liberia were recruited in 2012. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and demographic data were collected. Interviews were then transcribed and coded thematically.ResultsForty-six of the participants were attending school, and 29 were not enrolled in school. Youth enrolled in school demonstrated greater adaptive functioning. This was particularly true for boys in any school setting and girls attending private school. Youth not attending school were more likely to have lost family members or become estranged from them, and many were also engaging in substance use. Emotion regulation, cognitive flexibility, agency, social intelligence and, in some cases, meaning-making were found in participants who showed resilient outcomes.ConclusionsCaregiver relationships mediate the development of psychological capacities that impact resilience. These findings suggest that youth who have lost a caregiver, many of whom are not attending school, are experiencing a significant ongoing burden in terms of their daily functioning and psychological health in the post-war period and should be the focus of further study and intervention targeting substance use and community reintegration.Trial registration Partners Healthcare IRB Protocol# 2012P000367.

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the role of pravastatin, as an adjunctive therapy, on inflammatory markers, lipid and glucose metabolism, psychopathology, and cognition in subjects with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Methods Schizophrenia or schizoaffective subjects (N=60) were randomized to receive either a 12-week supply of pravastatin 40 mg/day or placebo treatment. Anthropometric measures, lipids and glucose metabolism, inflammatory markers, psychopathology and cognitive performance were assessed at baseline, 6 weeks and 12 weeks. Results Pravastatin use was associated with a significant decrease in total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and LDL particle number levels, but was not associated with any significant changes in cognition or psychopathology in the participants, except a significant decrease in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) positive symptoms score from baseline to week 6. However, this decrease failed to remain significant at 12 weeks. Interestingly, triglycerides, LDLCholesterol, Total cholesterol, LDL particle number, small LDL particle number, large very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) particle number and c-reactive protein (CRP) followed a similar pattern at 6 and 12 weeks as psychopathology. Conclusions These results suggest that a randomized trial with a larger sample size and a higher dosage of pravastatin, and would be helpful in further evaluating the anti-inflammatory properties of pravastatin, its association with improvements in cognitive symptoms, and its potential to reduce positive and negative symptoms associated with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders.

Nelson Mandela dedicated his life to fighting for the freedom of his South African kin of all colors against the institution of apartheid. He spent twenty-seven years fighting from within prison, only gaining his freedom when his fellow South Africans could claim it as well. This article demonstrates how his faith, his spiritual development and his noble purpose can be conceptualized through the lens of Ubuntu: the African ethic of community, unity, humanity and harmony