Ildikó Kovács

Decision making measured by the Iowa Gambling Task in alcohol use disorder and gambling disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Gambling disorder (GD) and alcohol use disorder (AD) have similar features, such as elevated impulsivity and decision-making deficits, which are directly linked to relapse and poor therapeutic outcomes. Our aim was to assess decision-making characteristics in GD and AD patients compared to healthy controls (HC) based on one of the most frequently used measures of decision-making: the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). METHODS In our systematic literature search of three databases, we identified 1198 empirical articles that mentioned decision-making deficits with the use of the IGT in patients diagnosed with either AD or GD. Possible effects were calculated using meta-analysis. In the end, 17 studies (including 1360 participants) were suitable for inclusion in the meta-analysis reporting data for 23 group contrasts. RESULTS The random effects estimate indicated impaired IGT performance in both AD patients (N=500; d=-0.581, CI:-89.5<δ<-26.6%) and an even greater deficit in GD patients (N=292; d=-1.034, CI:-156.1<δ<50.7%) compared to HCs. Sampling variances were calculated for both AD (v1=0.0056) and GD groups (v2=0.0061), from which the z-score was calculated (z=-21.0785; p<0.05), which indicates a statistically significant difference between AD and GD groups. No significant moderating effects of age, gender or education were found. CONCLUSIONS There is enough evidence to support that decision-making deficit associated with addictive disorders, and that the deficit is more expressed in gambling disorder than in alcohol use disorder. Impaired decision-making plays an important part in poor therapeutic outcomes, thus provides a promising opportunity for cognitive intervention.

Treatment of model oily produced water by combined pre-ozonation–microfiltration process

Oily wastewaters are one of the major environmental pollutants in aquatic systems. This is due to the emission of a variety of industrial oily wastewaters from sources such as crude oil mining (production), refineries, petrochemical plants and transportation. The aims of this work were to investigate the treatment of oil-contaminated wastewaters with a pre-ozonation/microfiltration combined system and the effect of pre-ozonation on the microfiltration parameters. The results demonstrated that ozone pre-treatment modified the chemical nature (pH and conductivity) of oil-in-water emulsion, resulting in higher wettability of the polyethersulphone membrane. In case of salt-containing model emulsions compared to pure oil emulsions, ozone treatment was found to be more effective for membrane resistance reduction and in chemical oxygen demand retention.

Investigation of surface and filtration properties of TiO2 coated ultrafiltration polyacrylonitrile membranes

In the present work, the surface and filtration properties of TiO2 coated polyacrylonitrile ultrafiltration membranes were investigated. The membranes were coated using the physical deposition method. The appropriate TiO2 coverage proved to be 0.3 mg/cm2, which formed a hydrophilic cake layer on the membrane surface. The cleanability without chemicals and the retention of the coated membranes was compared to the neat membrane after model oily wastewater filtration. The cleaning sustained of rinsing with distilled water and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of the fouled membranes. The coated membranes have better antifouling properties; higher flux values during oily water filtration and by the mentioned cleaning process a significantly better flux recovery can be achieved. The amount of the catalyst and the irradiation time are limiting factors to the effectiveness of the cleaning process. The UV irradiation increases the wettability of the fouled membrane surface by degrading the oil layer. The coating, the continuous use, and the cleaning process do not significantly affect the membrane retention expressed in chemical oxygen demand.

The Effect of Advanced Oxidation Pre-Treatment on the Membrane Filtration Parameters of Dairy Wastewater

Abstract The dairy industry generates wastewater characterised by high levels of biological and chemical oxygen demands representative of their high degree of organic content; mainly carbohydrates, proteins and fats that originate from milk. Several investigations have been conducted into the reuse of dairy wastewater, e.g. membrane processes are a promising method to treat such wastewater. Earlier works have proven that with membrane filtration an appropriate degree of retention can be achieved and the permeate can be reused. However, membrane fouling is a limiting factor in these processes. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are widely used in the fields of water and wastewater treatments and are known for their capability to mineralise a wide range of organic compounds. AOPs also exhibit some other effects on the filtration process, e.g. the microflocculation effect of ozone may play a significant role in increasing the elimination efficiency and causing a decreased level of irreversible fouling. By comparing ozone and Fenton pre-treatment (FPT) processes it can be shown that the fouling propensity of pre-treated pollutants does not depend on the pre-treatment method, while FPT was proven to be more efficient in improving the level of flux.

Spirituality mediates state anxiety but not trait anxiety and depression in alcohol recovery

Abstract Background and objectives: Twelve-step based interventions promote the recovery from alcohol dependence, support relapse prevention and are associated with improved mental status indices (e.g. depression). This treatment model largely relies on spiritual experience. We tested three different alcohol treatment settings, which differently involve elements of spirituality in order to reveal its possible mediator effect on the level of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Methods: Patients were involved from (1) detoxification (n = 34), (2) long-term – 12-step based – therapeutic community treatment (n = 89), (3) and from Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) groups after at least 3 years of attendance (n = 46). Anxiodepressive symptoms and spirituality/transcendence were compared and the potential mediator role of spirituality was assessed in the levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Results: Long-term 12-step based rehabilitation and sustained AA attendance was connected to lower levels of anxiodepressive symptoms and to more pronounced spirituality. The spiritual component of the different treatments played a mediator role in the decrease of state anxiety but this mediation was not detected in the case of depressive symptoms and trait anxiety. Conclusions/Importance: The role of spirituality in the decrease of state anxiety indicates acute beneficial effect. Therefore, long term, regular attendance in AA groups is essential.