Simply imagining sunshine, lollipops and rainbows will not budge the bias: The role of ambiguity in interpretive bias modification

Imagery-based interpretive bias modification (CBM-I) involves repeatedly imagining scenarios that are initially ambiguous before being resolved as either positive or negative in the last word/s. While the presence of such ambiguity is assumed to be important to achieve change in selective interpretation, it is also possible that the act of repeatedly imagining positive or negative events could produce such change in the absence of ambiguity. The present study sought to examine whether the ambiguity in imagery-based CBM-I is necessary to elicit change in interpretive bias, or, if the emotional content of the imagined scenarios is sufficient to produce such change. An imagery-based CBM-I task was delivered to participants in one of four conditions, where the valence of imagined scenarios were either positive or negative, and the ambiguity of the scenario was either present (until the last word/s) or the ambiguity was absent (emotional valence was evident from the start). Results indicate that only those who received scenarios in which the ambiguity was present acquired an interpretive bias consistent with the emotional valence of the scenarios, suggesting that the act of imagining positive or negative events will only influence patterns of interpretation when the emotional ambiguity is a consistent feature

Role of Secreted Conjunctival Mucosal Cytokine and Chemokine Proteins in Different Stages of Trachomatous Disease

Trachoma, a disease of antiquity dating back to the 16th century B.C.E., predominates among developing countries, where it remains the primary cause of preventable blindness worldwide. In trachoma, recurrent Chlamydia trachomatis bacterial infections during childhood are thought to result in inflammation and subsequent conjunctival scarring that can progress to trichiasis (TT; chronic trachoma; inversion of ≥1 eyelash that touches the globe of the eye). The trachomatous follicular grade (TF; active disease) is a self-limiting disease, suggesting the coexistence of protective inflammatory proteins. The trachomatous inflammatory grade (TI; active disease) is more likely to progress to trachomatous scarring (TS; chronic trachoma). To date, there are only a handful of studies that have examined the immune response in trachoma, and these were primarily based on gene expression. Characterizing quantified conjunctival mucosal immune differences for secreted proteins among individuals with no, active, and chronic trachoma may identify protein biomarkers associated with protection versus disease, which would greatly aid our understanding of the immunopathogenesis of trachoma. In this study, we characterized 25 cytokine and chemokine proteins for all trachoma grades. We identified eight cytokines and chemokines as risk factors for chronic trachoma and four as protective. Together, these findings further characterize the immunopathologic responses involved during trachoma, which will likely aid in the design of a vaccine and immunomodulating therapeutics for trachoma

Identification of Novel Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Inflammatory Genes as Risk Factors Associated with Trachomatous Trichiasis

infection, the primary cause of trachoma. Despite control programs that include mass antibiotic treatment, reinfection and recurrence of trachoma are common after treatment cessation. Furthermore, a subset of infected individuals develop inflammation and are at greater risk for developing the severe sequela of trachoma known as trachomatous trichiasis (TT). While there are a number of environmental and behavioral risk factors for trachoma, genetic factors that influence inflammation and TT risk remain ill defined. = 0.001] with the combination of TNFA (-308A), LTA (252A), VCAM1 (-1594C), SCYA 11 (23T) minor allele, and the combination of TNFA (-308A), IL9 (113M), IL1B (5′UTR-T), and VCAM1 (-1594C). However, TT risk increased 13.5 times [odds ratio = 13.5 (95% confidence interval 3.3–22), p = 0.001] with the combination of TNFA (-308G), VDR (intron G), IL4R (50V), and ICAM1 (56M) minor allele.Evaluating genetic risk factors for trachoma will advance our understanding of disease pathogenesis, and should be considered in the context of designing global control programs

FDG-PET parameters predicting mediastinal malignancy in lung cancer

Altres ajuts: Sociedad Española de Neumología y Cirugía Torácica 226/2012Staging of mediastinal lymph nodes in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is mandatory. The maximum Standard Uptake Value (SUVmax) obtained using F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is the best non-invasive technique available for this evaluation, but its performance varies from center to center. The aim of the present study was to identify FDG-PET predictors of mediastinal malignancy that are able to minimize intercenter variability and improve the selection of subsequent staging procedures. A multicenter study of NSCLC patients staged through FDG-PET and endobronchial ultrasonography with needle aspiration (EBUS-NA) was performed using therapeutic surgery with systematic nodal dissection as gold standard. Intercenter variability and predictive power for mediastinal malignancy of different FDG-PET measures were assessed, as well as the role of these measures for selecting additional staging procedures. One hundred and twenty-one NSCLC patients, of whom 94 (72%) had ≥1 hypermetabolic spots in the mediastinum, were included in the study. Mean SUVmax of the primary tumor was 12.3 (SD 6.3), and median SUVmax of the highest hypermetabolic spots in the mediastinum was 3.9 (IQR 2.4-7). Variability of FDG-PET measures between hospitals was statistically significant (p = 0.016 and p 3 cm and/or a SUVmax mediastinum/tumor ratio >0.4. The SUVmax mediastinum/tumor ratio is a good predictor of regional tumor extension in NSCLC. This measure is not influenced by intercenter variability and has an accuracy of over 70% for the identification of malignancy when using a 0.4 cutoff