Psyche und Sport in Zeiten von COVID-19

Die Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) betont in ihren Empfehlungen «Coping with stress du-ring the 2019-nCoV outbreak» die Bedeutung von Bewegung und der Beibehaltung eines gesunden Lebensstils (11). Diese Empfehlungen gehören zu Informationsmaterial, das die WHO während der COVID-19-Pandemie zu verschiedenen Aspek-ten der psychischen Gesundheit herausgegeben h a t (1 2)

Wheat Pm4 resistance to powdery mildew is controlled by alternative splice variants encoding chimeric proteins

Crop breeding for resistance to pathogens largely relies on genes encoding receptors that confer race-specific immunity. Here, we report the identification of the wheat Pm4 race-specific resistance gene to powdery mildew. Pm4 encodes a putative chimeric protein of a serine/threonine kinase and multiple C2 domains and transmembrane regions, a unique domain architecture among known resistance proteins. Pm4 undergoes constitutive alternative splicing, generating two isoforms with different protein domain topologies that are both essential for resistance function. Both isoforms interact and localize to the endoplasmatic reticulum when co-expressed. Pm4 reveals additional diversity of immune receptor architecture to be explored for breeding and suggests an endoplasmatic reticulum-based molecular mechanism of Pm4-mediated race-specific resistance

Dendritic cell-specific delivery of Flt3L by coronavirus vectors secures induction of therapeutic antitumor immunity

Efficacy of antitumor vaccination depends to a large extent on antigen targeting to dendritic cells (DCs). Here, we assessed antitumor immunity induced by attenuated coronavirus vectors which exclusively target DCs in vivo and express either lymphocyte- or DC-activating cytokines in combination with a GFP-tagged model antigen. Tracking of in vivo transduced DCs revealed that vectors encoding for Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt3L) exhibited a higher capacity to induce DC maturation compared to vectors delivering IL-2 or IL-15. Moreover, Flt3L vectors more efficiently induced tumor-specific CD8(+) T cells, expanded the epitope repertoire, and provided both prophylactic and therapeutic tumor immunity. In contrast, IL-2- or IL-15-encoding vectors showed a substantially lower efficacy in CD8(+) T cell priming and failed to protect the host once tumors had been established. Thus, specific in vivo targeting of DCs with coronavirus vectors in conjunction with appropriate conditioning of the microenvironment through Flt3L represents an efficient strategy for the generation of therapeutic antitumor immunity

Merkblatt: Sportpsychiatrische und -psychotherapeutische Aspekte im Leistungssport in Zeiten der COVID-19-Pandemie

Psychische und soziale Belastungen sind wie körperliche Belastungen fester Bestandteil des Leistungssports. Bis vor wenigen Jahren wurde angenommen, dass es im Leistungssport keine ernsthaften psychischen Probleme und Erkrankungen geben kann und das mentale Stärke gleichzeitig auch psychische Gesundheit bedeutet (3). Durch immer zahlreich werdende Veröffentlichungen wissen wir mittlerweile, dass psychische Belastungen und Erkrankungen häufige Gesundheitsprobleme im Leistungssport sind, die sich sportspezifisch manifestieren und die Leistung vermindern können (5). Erfolgreiche Spitzensportler lehrten uns zudem mit ihren mutigen Interviews, dass ihre mentale Stärke und Wettkampfpersönlichkeit kein Garant für eine anhaltende psychische Gesundheit sein muss

Reduced foveal vision enhances peripheral monitoring and peripheral event detection

Introduction: Although it seems plausible that sports performance relies on high-acuity foveal vision, it could be empirically shown that myoptic blur (up to +2 diopters) does not harm performance in sport tasks that require foveal information pick-up like golf putting (Bulson, Ciuffreda, & Hung, 2008). How myoptic blur affects peripheral performance is yet unknown. Attention might be less needed for processing visual cues foveally and lead to better performance because peripheral cues are better processed as a function of reduced foveal vision, which will be tested in the current experiment. Methods: 18 sport science students with self-reported myopia volunteered as participants, all of them regularly wearing contact lenses. Exclusion criteria comprised visual correction other than myopic, correction of astigmatism and use of contact lenses out of Swiss delivery area. For each of the participants, three pairs of additional contact lenses (besides their regular lenses; used in the “plano” condition) were manufactured with an individual overcorrection to a retinal defocus of +1 to +3 diopters (referred to as “+1.00 D”, “+2.00 D”, and “+3.00 D” condition, respectively). Gaze data were acquired while participants had to perform a multiple object tracking (MOT) task that required to track 4 out of 10 moving stimuli. In addition, in 66.7 % of all trials, one of the 4 targets suddenly stopped during the motion phase for a period of 0.5 s. Stimuli moved in front of a picture of a sports hall to allow for foveal processing. Due to the directional hypotheses, the level of significance for one-tailed tests on differences was set at α = .05 and posteriori effect sizes were computed as partial eta squares (ηρ2). Results: Due to problems with the gaze-data collection, 3 participants had to be excluded from further analyses. The expectation of a centroid strategy was confirmed because gaze was closer to the centroid than the target (all p < .01). In comparison to the plano baseline, participants more often recalled all 4 targets under defocus conditions, F(1,14) = 26.13, p < .01, ηρ2 = .65. The three defocus conditions differed significantly, F(2,28) = 2.56, p = .05, ηρ2 = .16, with a higher accuracy as a function of a defocus increase and significant contrasts between conditions +1.00 D and +2.00 D (p = .03) and +1.00 D and +3.00 D (p = .03). For stop trials, significant differences could neither be found between plano baseline and defocus conditions, F(1,14) = .19, p = .67, ηρ2 = .01, nor between the three defocus conditions, F(2,28) = 1.09, p = .18, ηρ2 = .07. Participants reacted faster in “4 correct+button” trials under defocus than under plano-baseline conditions, F(1,14) = 10.77, p < .01, ηρ2 = .44. The defocus conditions differed significantly, F(2,28) = 6.16, p < .01, ηρ2 = .31, with shorter response times as a function of a defocus increase and significant contrasts between +1.00 D and +2.00 D (p = .01) and +1.00 D and +3.00 D (p < .01). Discussion: The results show that gaze behaviour in MOT is not affected to a relevant degree by a visual overcorrection up to +3 diopters. Hence, it can be taken for granted that peripheral event detection was investigated in the present study. This overcorrection, however, does not harm the capability to peripherally track objects. Moreover, if an event has to be detected peripherally, neither response accuracy nor response time is negatively affected. Findings could claim considerable relevance for all sport situations in which peripheral vision is required which now needs applied studies on this topic. References: Bulson, R. C., Ciuffreda, K. J., & Hung, G. K. (2008). The effect of retinal defocus on golf putting. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics, 28, 334-344

Validierung eines deutschsprachigen DSM-IV-TR basierten Fragebogens zum prämenstruellen Syndrom

Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Prämenstruelle Symptome und das Prämenstruelle Syndrom (PMS) werden häufig berichtet, sind allerdings schwer von somatoformen oder affektiven Beschwerden abzugrenzen. Methode: Basierend auf den DSM-IV-TR Kriterien für PMDD wurde ein deutschsprachiger Fragebogen zur Erfassung von PMS entwor- fen. 300 Frauen (Alter = 26 Jahre, SD = 5,33) füllten diesen Fragebogen, das Screening für Somatoforme Störungen und die Allgemeine Depressionsskala online aus, 101 davon messwiederholt. Die Gütekriterien wurden mittels exploratorischer und konfirmatorischer Faktorenanalysen sowie Korrelationen und ANOVAs bestimmt. Ergebnisse: Die Datenanalysen weisen auf die Validität und einen angemessenen Modellfit für den PMS-Fragebogen hin. PMS-Werte unterscheiden sich durch signifikant höhere Werte während der Lutealphase von somatoformen Beschwerden und Depressivität. Schlussfolgerun- gen: Der PMS-Fragebogen ist ein valides Erhebungsinstrument und bestätigt die zyklusabhängigen Charakteristika dieses Störungsbildes. Schlüsselwörter: Prämenstruelle Dysphorische Störung (PMDD), Prämenstruelles Syndrom (PMS), Depressivität, Somatofor- me Beschwerden, Fragebogen A German DSM-IV-TR-based questionnaire for the screening of premenstrual symptoms Abstract. Background: In this study, we designed a German inventory aimed at quantifying menstrual cycle dependent symptoms and the premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Methods: The German PMS inventory was designed based on the DSM- IV-TR criteria for the Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and was presented online to 300 women (N = 101, repeatedly), along with screenings for somatoform and depressive symptoms. Results: Analyses suggest a good model fit for the factorial structure of the PMS inventory. PMS scores showed an increase during the luteal phase which was not found in somatic or depressive symptoms. Conclusion: The German PMS inventory is a valid tool to assess premenstrual symptoms and confirms the menstrual cycle dependent pattern of these symptoms in women. Key words: Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), Depressiveness, Somatic symptoms, questionnair