Background: The literature measuring effects of antidepressant and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for major depression on heart rate variability (HRV) in medically well individuals was reviewed.

Raman and infrared spectra of rhombohedral selenium have been measured and the fundamental bands observed in these spectra are assigned by analogy to the S6 ring molecule. Calculation of the normal mode vibration for the Se6 ring using a modified Urey-Bradley force field confirms this assignment. Anomalous softening of the A1g stretching mode relative to other modes and to the corresponding A1 mode in the Se8 ring was observed. This phenomenon is explained by the idea of interference of inter-molecular interaction with the intra-molecular bonding. Comparison of the observed spectra of rhombohedral selenium with those of other allotropes (α-monoclinic, trigonal, and amorphous selenium) suggests that Se6 ring molecules may exist in amorphous selenium.

A structure of a high-pressure phase of tellurium (Te-III) has been re-examined by an x-ray diffraction method. This phase appears at a pressure between 7 and 27 GPa, where a second-order phase transition to Te-IV occurs. The newly obtained crystal lattice of Te-III at 8 GPa is monoclinic with a = 8.4682(14) Å, b = 4.7424(8) Å, c = 3.9595(7) Å, β = 88.112(11) • . The space group is C2/m, with six atoms in the unit cell, two in positions 2a at (0, 0, 0) and four in positions 4i at (x, 0, z) with x = 0.324(11), z = 0.675(3).

BackgroundPatients with anorexia nervosa-restricting type (AN-R) sometimes develop accompanying bulimic symptoms or the full syndrome of bulimia nervosa (BN). If clinicians could predict who might change into the bulimic sub-type or BN, preventative steps could be taken. Therefore, we investigated anthropometric and psychological factors possibly associated with such changes.MethodAll participants were from a study by the Japanese Genetic Research Group for Eating Disorders. Of 80 patients initially diagnosed with AN-R, 22 changed to the AN-Binge Eating/Purging Type (AN-BP) and 14 to BN for some period of time. The remaining 44 patients remained AN-R only from the onset to the investigation period. Variables compared by ANOVA included anthropometric measures, personality traits such as Multiple Perfectionism Scale scores and Temperament and Character Inventory scores, and Beck Depression Inventory-II scores.ResultsIn comparison with AN-R only patients, those who developed BN had significantly higher current BMI (p < 0.05) and maximum BMI in the past (p < 0.05). They also scored significantly higher for the psychological characteristic of parental criticism (p < 0.05) and lower in self-directedness (p < 0.05), which confirms previous reports, but these differences disappeared when the depression score was used as a co-variant. No significant differences were obtained for personality traits or depression among the AN-R only patients irrespective of their duration of illness.ConclusionThe present findings suggest a tendency toward obesity among patients who cross over from AN-R to BN. Low self-directedness and high parental criticism may be associated with the development of BN by patients with AN-R, although the differences may also be associated with depression.

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