Morphology of planktonic zoeal stages of Palicus caronii (Decapoda, Brachyura), identified by DNA barcoding, provides novelties to Palicoidea larval systematics

The zoeal development of the brachyuran crab, Palicus caronii, comprises two zoeal stages and the morphology is described and illustrated in detail. The zoeae were collected in plankton samples from the Southern Ligurian Sea (Western Mediterranean). Although the morphology of the larval stages of this species was unknown, a combination of characters allowed the zoeae to initially be assigned to the Palicidae, based on the previous unique known first zoeal description of one species of this family. Later, the identification of the larvae as Palicus caronii was confirmed through molecular analysis. The morphological features of the zoeae that characterize the Palicidae and separate them from the Crossotonotidae are confirmed. Also, the larval development comprising only two zoeal stages observed in Palicus caronii, the peculiar and uncommon carapace surface setation, and the presence of anterodorsal and posterodorsal sensory dorsal organs suggest that these characters could be common to the Palicoidea.The collection of the larval stages used in the present work was performed in the context of a project carried out with the financial support of the Italian Ministero della Salute (Research Project IZSPLV 14/14 RC). COI sequence of adult crab of Palicus caronii was obtained within the framework of the MEGALOPADN project (CGL2009-11225) funded by the “Ministerio de Economía y Competividad (MINECO)” Spanish Plan R + D + I and FEDER. Authors would like to thank Prof. Simona Bonelli, Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology (UNITO), for her support, and the entomology laboratory of Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Sciences (UNITO) for loaning the camera lucida, with a special thanks to Enrico Busato for his availability. The study was funded by the Italian Ministero della Salute (Research Project IZSPLV 14/14 RC)

ANTIDEPRESSANT THERAPY AND THE RISK OF SUICIDE AMONG PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS

The world-wide annual suicide rate currently averages approximately 13/100,000 (0.013%/year), with higher average rates for men than women in all but a few countries, very low rates in children, and relatively high rates in elderly men Suicide rates vary markedly among regions of the world, countries, and locales, in part reflecting differences in case-identification and reporting procedures. Rates of attempted suicide average 20-30 times higher than rates of completed suicide in the general population, but are probably under-reported A highly controversial question is whether antidepressant treatment modifies the risks of various aspects of "suicidality" among patients with major depressive disorders. Research on the relationship between pharmacotherapy and suicidal behavior was virtually unknown until a decade ago. A minority of ecological studies and most large clinical studies have found that decreases of suicide rates by region or time are correlated with higher rates of prescribing modern antidepressants. However, other studies and data from brief, randomized, controlled trials in patients with acute major depression have found increases for patients of some ages, particularly for the risk of suicide attempts, as well as increases in suicidal ideation in the young. Although other pharmacological treatments, such as clozapine and lithium, appear to have sound evidence for reducing the risk of attempted and completed suicide, in this paper we proposed to analyze the relationship between suicidality in depressed adults and only antidepressants

Depression and Affective Temperaments Are Associated with Poor Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with HIV Infection

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) represents one of the most chronic and debilitating infections worldwide. Hopelessness and affective temperaments (mood that is characteristic of an individual\u2019s habitual functioning) may play important roles in the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with HIV. The purpose of this study was to examine affective temperaments in a sample of patients with HIV, the impact of hopelessness on HRQoL, and associations among HRQoL, hopelessness, and affective temperaments. Methods. The study involved 88 participants who were administered the Short- Form Health Survey (SF-36), the Beck Hopeless - ness Scale (BHS), the Suicidal History Self-Rating Screening scale (SHSS), the Gotland Male Depres - sion Scale (GMDS), and the Temperament Evalua - tion of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego (TEMPS-A). Results. Patients with a poorer HRQoL reported more severe depression and hopelessness than patients with a higher HRQoL. Patients with a poorer HRQoL also had higher scores on all dimensions of the TEMPS-A with a depressive component compared to patients with a higher HRQoL. The small sample size in this study limits the generalizability of the findings. Conclusion. Patients with a poorer HRQoL were more depressed and also at an increased risk of suicide as indicated by the more severe hopelessness they reported compared to patients with higher HRQoL. These patients were also more likely to have depressive affective temperaments than those with a higher HRQoL

Depression and affective temperaments are associated with poor health-related quality of life in patients with HIV infection

Introduction. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) represents one of the most chronic and debilitating infections worldwide. Hopelessness and affective temperaments (mood that is characteristic of an individual's habitual functioning) may play important roles in the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with HIV. The purpose of this study was to examine affective temperaments in a sample of patients with HIV, the impact of hopelessness on HRQoL, and associations among HRQoL, hopelessness, and affective temperaments. Methods. The study involved 88 participants who were administered the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), the Suicidal History Self-Rating Screening scale (SHSS), the Gotland Male Depression Scale (GMDS), and the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego (TEMPS-A). Results. Patients with a poorer HRQoL reported more severe depression and hopelessness than patients with a higher HRQoL. Patients with a poorer HRQoL also had higher scores on all dimensions of the TEMPS-A with a depressive component compared to patients with a higher HRQoL. The small sample size in this study limits the generalizability of the findings. Conclusion. Patients with a poorer HRQoL were more depressed and also at an increased risk of suicide as indicated by the more severe hopelessness they reported compared to patients with higher HRQoL. These patients were also more likely to have depressive affective temperaments than those with a higher HRQoL. Copyright © 2013, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins