281 research outputs found
Risk factors for homelessness among recently released offenders
No full textThe current study examined characteristics related to homelessness among released offenders to improve housing services for this group. Forty-one incarcerated Canadian prisoners were interviewed approximately 3 months prior to release about their former and anticipated accommodations. Homelessness prior to incarceration was positively related to violent institutional behavior, violence risk level, and criminogenic needs but not recidivism. Stable housing prior to incarceration was positively related to greater community support. Recommendations include creating more community and institutional housing programs for offenders more likely to experience housing difficulties in the community.Peer reviewedFinal article publishe
Offender coercion in treatment: a meta-analysis of effectiveness
No full textMandating offenders to attend correctional treatment is a controversial function of the justice system, in part because of the uncertainty about the effectiveness of such practice. A meta-analysis was conducted to compare the effectiveness of mandated, coerced, and voluntary correctional treatment in reducing recidivism. A search of correctional treatment studies resulted in 129 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. In general, mandated treatment was found to be ineffective in several analyses, particularly when the treatment was located in custodial settings, whereas voluntary treatment produced significant treatment effect sizes regardless of setting. Few significant differences in effect sizes were found between levels of coercion. The implications of mandating correctional treatment for offenders are discussed.Peer reviewedFinal article publishedmeta-analysiscoercionmandated treatmentvoluntary treatmentcorrectional treatmen
Suicide ideation in different generations of immigrants
No full textObjective:
To identify whether pressures associated with acculturation are related to suicide ideation.
Method:
We assessed 1135 undergraduates, using suicide measures and the Vancouver Index of Acculturation.
Results and Conclusions:
Suicide ideation, plans, and attempts did not vary by generation level or with mainstream acculturation for any of the ethnic groups studied (European, Chinese, and Indo-Asian), nor did they vary among ethnic groups. The results indicate that individuals who identified closely with their heritage culture were at an increased risk for suicidal thoughts but not for suicide plans or attempts.Peer reviewedFinal article publishedsuicideethnic identit
Evaluation of the predictive validity of the Violence Risk Scale in a paroled offender sample: a seven-year prospective study
No full textThe predictive validity of the Violence Risk Scale (VRS) has been demonstrated in a number of institutionalised offender samples but not in a community sample. The present study assessed prospectively, in a seven-year follow-up, the validity of the VRS ratings in predicting recidivism in a sample of 60 federal offenders residing in the community after they were released under conditional orders. Six recidivism outcomes were used: any and violent reconvictions, days until any and violent reconvictions, frequency and severity of any new reconvictions. Pearson correlations, Receiver Operating Characteristic and survival analyses were used, among others, to assess the predictive validity of VRS ratings. The VRS ratings significantly predicted all six recidivism outcomes. The results also suggest that release decision makers correctly identified offenders with lower than average risk and recidivism rate for release. However, for release decision making, it is suggested that more attention should be paid to the results of risk assessments using validated structured risk assessment tools.Peer reviewedFinal article publishedrisk assessmentviolencerecidivismparolecommunitypredictioncriminal behaviou
Steroids and the Brain
No full textThis eBook is a collection of articles from a Frontiers Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers Journals Series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author by contacting the Frontiers Editorial Office: frontiersin.org/about/contac
Steroids and the Brain
No full textThis eBook is a collection of articles from a Frontiers Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers Journals Series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author by contacting the Frontiers Editorial Office: frontiersin.org/about/contac
Single-cell gene profiling reveals social status-dependent modulation of nuclear hormone receptors in gnrh neurons in a male cichlid fish
No full textGonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is essential for the initiation and maintenance of reproductive functions in vertebrates. To date, three distinct paralogue lineages, GnRH1, GnRH2, and GnRH3, have been identified with different functions and regulatory mechanisms. Among them, hypothalamic GnRH1 neurons are classically known as the hypophysiotropic form that is regulated by estrogen feedback. However, the mechanism of action underlying the estrogen-dependent regulation of GnRH1 has been debated, mainly due to the coexpression of low levels of estrogen receptor (ER) genes. In addition, the role of sex steroids in the modulation of GnRH2 and GnRH3 neurons has not been fully elucidated. Using single-cell real-time PCR, we revealed the expression of genes for estrogen, androgen, glucocorticoid, thyroid, and xenobiotic receptors in GnRH1, GnRH2, and GnRH3 neurons in the male Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. We further quantified expression levels of estrogen receptor genes (ERα, ERβ, and ERγ) in three GnRH neuron types in male tilapia of two different social statuses (dominant and subordinate) at the single cell level. In dominant males, GnRH1 mRNA levels were positively proportional to ERγ mRNA levels, while in subordinate males, GnRH2 mRNA levels were positively proportional to ERβ mRNA levels. These results indicate that variations in the expression of nuclear receptors (and possibly steroid sensitivities) among individual GnRH cells may facilitate different physiological processes, such as the promotion of reproductive activities through GnRH1 neurons, and the inhibition of feeding and sexual behaviors through GnRH2 neurons.</p
Biological Significance of Kisspeptin–Kiss 1 Receptor Signaling in the Habenula of Teleost Species
No full textKisspeptin is a neuropeptide, encoded by kisspeptin 1 (KISS1)/Kiss1 gene, which primarily acts as the regulator of reproductive functions via its receptor, kisspeptin receptor (KissR) in vertebrates. In the brain, Kiss1 gene is mainly expressed in the hypothalamic region, but KissR gene is widely distributed throughout the brain, suggesting that kisspeptin–KissR system may be involved in not only reproductive, but also non-reproductive functions. In non-mammalian vertebrates, there are two or more kisspeptin and KissR types. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) possess two kisspeptin (Kiss1 and Kiss2) and their respective receptors [Kiss1 receptor (KissR1) and KissR2]. In the brain of zebrafish, while Kiss2 is expressed in the preoptic-hypothalamic area, Kiss1 is predominantly expressed in the habenula, an evolutionarily conserved epithalamic structure. Similarly, KissR1 is expressed only in the habenula, while KissR2 is widely distributed in the brain, suggesting that the two kisspeptin systems play specific roles in the brain. The habenular Kiss1 is involved in the modulation of the raphe nuclei and serotonin-related behaviors such as fear response in the zebrafish. This review summarizes the roles of multiple kisspeptin–KissR systems in reproductive and non-reproductive functions and neuronal mechanism, and debates the biological and evolutional significance of habenular kisspeptin–KissR systems in teleost species
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone regulates atp-binding cassette g1 and g4 to transport cholesterol in the brain
No full textThe ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter family G1 and G4 play an important role in the transport of lipids, especially cholesterol across cell membranes in the brain. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which is widely known to be the driving force in reproduction, has been implied to play other roles apart from its direct involvement in the reproductive cascade. One of these roles is in the regulation of metabolism, where a link between GnRH and cholesterol has long been implied but was never fully investigated. Advance teleost fishes such as tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in particular, express all three known subtypes of GnRH, namely GnRH1, GnRH2 and GnRH3. Moreover, the three types of receptors (GnRHR1, GnRHR2 and GnRHR3) for these GnRHs are also widely distributed in the brain. Thus, the studies documented in this thesis aimed to investigate the role of GnRH in regulating cholesterol homeostasis in the brain, with particular attention on ABCG1 and ABCG4 transporters. Two novel genes (ABCG1 and ABCG4) from the brain tissue of the tilapia fish were cloned and were used in the subsequent investigations of the role of GnRH in the control of cholesterol transport. Both ABCG1 and ABCG4 mRNAs were found to be highly expressed in the central nervous system, pituitary and gonads of tilapia. Additionally, ABCG1 mRNA was found to be highly expressed in the pituitary while ABCG4 mRNA displayed wide distribution pattern of expression across different brain regions. Both ABCG1 and ABCG4 mRNAs were also detected in all three types of GnRH neurons in the tilapia. Three forms of GnRH were applied exogenously to tilapia brain cell cultures and the effect of these GnRHs in mediating the expression of ABCG1 and ABCG4 were recorded. Both ABCG1 and ABCG4 mRNA expressions were affected (differentially up-regulated or down-regulated depending on brain region investigated) in the cells from the olfactory bulb, forebrain and pituitary. The effect of cholesterol on ABCG1 and ABCG4 mRNA expressions were also investigated through loading of exogenous cholesterol into brain cell cultures. Only ABCG1 expression was observed to up-regulated in the hindbrain region. Taken together, the results from this thesis show that ABCG1 transporter gene is regulated directly by changes in cellular cholesterol level in the brain while ABCG4 transporter gene is modulated directly by GnRH1 (in the OB) and GnRH2 (in the pituitary)
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