Borderline personality disorder is associated with lower confidence in perception of emotional body movements

Much recent research has shown that personality disorders are associated with an altered emotion perception. Whereas most of this research was conducted with stimuli such as faces, the present study examined possible differences in the perception of emotions expressed via body language and body movements. 30 patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and 30 non-patients observed video scenes of emotional human interactions conveyed by point–light displays, rated the depicted valence, and judged their confidence in this rating. Patients with BPD showed no altered emotion perception (i.e., no biased perception in either a negative or a positive direction). They did not perceive and evaluate depicted emotions as being more extreme than healthy controls. However, patients with BPD showed less confidence in their perception of depicted emotions, especially when these were difficult to identify. The findings extend insights on altered emotion perception in persons with BPD to include the field of body movements

Guidelines for the management of partial-thickness burns in a general hospital or community setting-Recommendations of a European working party

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Parenteral nutrition support for patients with pancreatic cancer. Results of a phase II study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cachexia is a common problem in patients (pts) suffering from upper gastrointestinal cancer. In addition, most of these patients suffer from malabsorption and stenosis of the gastrointestinal tract due to their illness. Various methods of supplementary nutrition (enteral, parenteral) are practised. In patients with advanced pancreatic cancer (APC), phase angle, determined by bio-electrical impedance analysis (BIA), seems to be a survival predictor. The positive influence of BIA determinate predictors by additional nutrition is currently under discussion.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To examine the impact of additional parenteral nutrition (APN) we assessed outpatients suffering from APC and progressive cachexia. The assessment based on the BIA method. Assessment parameters were phase angle, ECM/BCM index (ratio of extracellular mass to body cell mass), and BMI (body mass index). Patients suffering from progressive weight loss in spite of additional enteral nutritional support were eligible for the study.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Median treatment duration in 32 pts was 18 [8-35] weeks. Response evaluation showed a benefit in 27 pts (84%) in at least one parameter. 14 pts (43.7%) improved or stabilised in all three parameters. The median ECM/BCM index was 1.7 [1.11-3.14] at start of APN and improved down to 1.5 [1.12-3.36] during therapy. The median BMI increased from 19.7 [14.4-25.9] to 20.5 [15.4-25.0]. The median phase angle improved by 10% from 3.6 [2.3-5.1] to 3.9 [2.2-5.1].</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We demonstrated the positive impact of APN on the assessed parameters, first of all the phase angle, and we observed at least a temporary benefit or stabilisation of the nutritional status in the majority of the investigated patients. Based on these findings we are currently investigating the impact of APN on survival in a larger patient cohort.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00919659</p

The role of species charisma in biological invasions

Commonly used in the literature to refer to the "attractiveness", "appeal", or "beauty" of a species, charisma can be defined as a set of characteristics - and the perception thereof - that affect people's attitudes and behaviors toward a species. It is a highly relevant concept for invasion science, with implications across all stages of the invasion process. However, the concept of invasive alien species (IAS) charisma has not yet been systematically investigated. We discuss this concept in detail, provide a set of recommendations for further research, and highlight management implications. We review how charisma affects the processes associated with biological invasions andIASmanagement, including species introductions and spread, media portrayals, public perceptions of species management, research attention, and active public involvement in research and management. Explicit consideration ofIAScharisma is critical for understanding the factors that shape people's attitudes toward particular species, planning management measures and strategies, and implementing a combination of education programs, awareness raising, and public involvement campaigns.Peer reviewe

Gαi2- and Gαi3-Specific Regulation of Voltage-Dependent L-Type Calcium Channels in Cardiomyocytes

BACKGROUND: Two pertussis toxin sensitive G(i) proteins, G(i2) and G(i3), are expressed in cardiomyocytes and upregulated in heart failure. It has been proposed that the highly homologous G(i) isoforms are functionally distinct. To test for isoform-specific functions of G(i) proteins, we examined their role in the regulation of cardiac L-type voltage-dependent calcium channels (L-VDCC). METHODS: Ventricular tissues and isolated myocytes were obtained from mice with targeted deletion of either Gα(i2) (Gα(i2) (-/-)) or Gα(i3) (Gα(i3) (-/-)). mRNA levels of Gα(i/o) isoforms and L-VDCC subunits were quantified by real-time PCR. Gα(i) and Ca(v)α(1) protein levels as well as protein kinase B/Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation levels were assessed by immunoblot analysis. L-VDCC function was assessed by whole-cell and single-channel current recordings. RESULTS: In cardiac tissue from Gα(i2) (-/-) mice, Gα(i3) mRNA and protein expression was upregulated to 187 ± 21% and 567 ± 59%, respectively. In Gα(i3) (-/-) mouse hearts, Gα(i2) mRNA (127 ± 5%) and protein (131 ± 10%) levels were slightly enhanced. Interestingly, L-VDCC current density in cardiomyocytes from Gα(i2) (-/-) mice was lowered (-7.9 ± 0.6 pA/pF, n = 11, p<0.05) compared to wild-type cells (-10.7 ± 0.5 pA/pF, n = 22), whereas it was increased in myocytes from Gα(i3) (-/-) mice (-14.3 ± 0.8 pA/pF, n = 14, p<0.05). Steady-state inactivation was shifted to negative potentials, and recovery kinetics slowed in the absence of Gα(i2) (but not of Gα(i3)) and following treatment with pertussis toxin in Gα(i3) (-/-). The pore forming Ca(v)α(1) protein level was unchanged in all mouse models analyzed, similar to mRNA levels of Ca(v)α(1) and Ca(v)β(2) subunits. Interestingly, at the cellular signalling level, phosphorylation assays revealed abolished carbachol-triggered activation of ERK1/2 in mice lacking Gα(i2). CONCLUSION: Our data provide novel evidence for an isoform-specific modulation of L-VDCC by Gα(i) proteins. In particular, loss of Gα(i2) is reflected by alterations in channel kinetics and likely involves an impairment of the ERK1/2 signalling pathway

Enhancement of stress tolerance in transgenic tobacco plants constitutively expressing AtIpk2β, an inositol polyphosphate 6-/3-kinase from Arabidopsis thaliana

Inositol phosphates (IPs) and their turnover products have been implicated to play important roles in stress signaling in eukaryotic cells. In higher plants genes encoding inositol polyphosphate kinases have been identified previously, but their physiological functions have not been fully resolved. Here we expressed Arabidopsis inositol polyphosphate 6-/3-kinase (AtIpk2β) in two heterologous systems, i.e. the yeast Saccharomycescerevisiae and in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), and tested the effect on abiotic stress tolerance. Expression of AtIpk2β rescued the salt-, osmotic- and temperature-sensitive growth defects of a yeast mutant strain (arg82Δ) that lacks inositol polyphosphate multikinase activity encoded by the ARG82/IPK2 gene. Transgenic tobacco plants constitutively expressing AtIpk2β under the control of the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus 35S promoter were generated and found to exhibit improved tolerance to diverse abiotic stresses when compared to wild type plants. Expression patterns of various stress responsive genes were enhanced, and the activities of anti-oxidative enzymes were elevated in transgenic plants, suggesting a possible involvement of AtIpk2β in plant stress responses

Microsatellite and Mitochondrial Data Provide Evidence for a Single Major Introduction for the Neartic Leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus in Europe

Scaphoideus titanus, a leafhopper native to North America and invasive in Europe, is the vector of the Flavescence dorée phytoplasma, the causal agent of the most important form of grapevine yellows in European vineyards. We studied 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci and a 623 bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase II gene in native S. titanus from north-eastern America and introduced European populations, to elucidate the colonization scenario. Consistent with their recent history, invasive European populations were less genetically diverse than American populations for both types of markers, suggesting a recent bottleneck. Significant isolation by distance was detected between American populations but not between European populations. None of the European mitochondrial haplotypes was found in the American vineyards, from which they are assumed to have originated. The precise source of the invasive S. titanus populations therefore remains unclear. Nevertheless, the high heterozygosity of North-East American populations (which contained 92% of the observed alleles) suggests that this region is part of the native range of S. titanus. Clustering population genetics analyses with microsatellite and mitochondrial data suggested that European populations originated from a single introduction event. Most of the introduced populations clustered with populations from Long Island, the Atlantic Coast winegrowing region in which Vitis aestivalis occurs