Values Affecting Collaboration Among Psychologists and Evangelical Clergy

Previous research has shown that shared values are important to both clergy and psychologists when considering the possibility of collaborating with one another, but it is not clear which values must be shared. Eighty-one psychologists and 56 evangelical Protestant clergy were surveyed using a values questionnaire developed by Jensen and Bergin (1988) with some additional items specifically pertaining to evangelical beliefs, revealing differences within value themes between clergy and psychologists. The epistemological foundations of the two professions create obstacles to collaboration, suggesting a need for psychologists to develop trusting relationships with clergy, engage in specialized training, and reevaluate the post-modern distinction between facts in the public domain and privately held values

An investigation of a genomewide supported psychosis variant in ZNF804A and white matter integrity in the human brain

ZNF804A, a genomewide supported susceptibility gene for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, has been associated with task-independent functional connectivity between the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortices. Several lines of evidence have converged on the hypothesis that this effect may be mediated by structural connectivity. We tested this hypothesis using diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging in three samples: one German sample of 50 healthy individuals, one Scottish sample of 83 healthy individuals and one Scottish sample of 84 unaffected relatives of bipolar patients. Voxel-based analysis and tract-based spatial statistics did not detect any fractional anisotropy (FA) differences between minor allele carriers and individuals homozygous for the major allele at rs1344706. Similarly, region-of-interest analyses and quantitative tractography of the genu of the corpus callosum revealed no significant FA differences between the genotype groups. Examination of effect sizes and confidence intervals indicated that this negative finding is very unlikely to be due to a lack of statistical power. In summary, despite using various analysis techniques in three different samples, our results were strikingly and consistently negative. These data therefore suggest that it is unlikely that the effects of genetic variation at rs1344706 on functional connectivity are mediated by structural integrity differences in large, long-range white matter fiber connections

The utility of single nucleotide DNA variations as predictors of postoperative pain

Objectives: Genetic variation is an important contributor to postsurgical pain and thereby analgesia requirements. A description of the potential predictive power of genetic variants in pain should instruct improvements in pain management postoperatively. We set out to examine whether a set of genetic variants in pain related genes would show any association with actual pain outcomes in a typical surgical population. Methods: A candidate gene study was carried out in 135 surgical patients with 12 DNA variants (single nucleotide polymorphisms or ‘SNPs’) in known or putative pain pathway genes to detect associations with postoperative pain - measured by a verbal rating score (VRS) and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) usage rate. Standard PCR based molecular biology approaches were used. Results: At 20-24h after surgery, patients with the 1032G/1032G variant pair for the A1032G variant of the potassium channel KCNJ6 gene had a slightly higher median VRS than those with 1032A/1032A or 1032A/1032G pairs (p=0.04; dominant genetic model). This small difference was most apparent in the orthopaedic surgery patients where the 1032G/1032G pair associated with VRS (median(interquartile range)) of 5(4-6) vs. 3(0.5-4) in 1032A/1032A or 1032A/1032G groups. For PCA, patients with 3435C/3435C or 3435C/3435T pairs for ATPdependent efflux pump gene ABCB1 variant C3435T used PCA at a considerably higher rate of 0.89(0.07-1.66) mg.h-1 compared with just 0.11 (0-0.52) mg.h-1 for the 3435T/3435T pair (p=0.03; dominant model). A significantly higher usage rate was also detected for opioid receptor OPRM1 variant IVS2-691 with usage of 0.77(0.01-1.56) mg.h-1 for the IVS2C/IVS2C or IVS2C/IVS2G group vs. 0.24(0-1.26) mg.h-1 in the IVS2G/IVS2G group (p=0.04; recessive model). Conclusion: While this study has identified some significant statistical associations the potential utility of the studied DNA variants in prediction of postoperative pain and patient-controlled opioid analgesia requirements appears to be quite limited at present

Understanding individual differences in response to Self-Practice and Self-Reflection (SP/SR) during CBT training

AbstractSelf-Practice/Self-Reflection (SP/SR) has been developed as a self-experiential training strategy to enhance CBT therapists’ skills. SP/SR gives therapists an experience of CBT through practising CBT techniques on themselves, and reflecting on the experience and its implications for clinical practice. Many practitioners report significant professional and personal gains from SP/SR; however, there is considerable individual variation. This study examined individual experiences of SP/SR in order to develop a better understanding of idiosyncratic variations in participants’ approaches to SP/SR, and to inform the design and implementation of future SP/SR programmes. A single-case design was employed to examine the experiences of four trainee cognitive-behaviour therapists who were undertaking SP/SR as part of their professional training in CBT. Quantitative data from self-ratings of skill, and qualitative data from participants’ reflections and attributions following completion of SP/SR were examined. Both the participants, and two additional reviewers were consulted in the interpretation of the results. The impact of SP/SR appeared specific to each participant, reflecting different ways that participants engaged with SP/SR materials. The study suggests that for optimal development, engagement of the personal self and therapist self may be required.</jats:p

Engineering Botulinum Toxins to Improve and Expand Targeting and SNARE Cleavage Activity

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are highly successful protein therapeutics. Over 40 naturally occurring BoNTs have been described thus far and, of those, only 2 are commercially available for clinical use. Different members of the BoNT family present different biological properties but share a similar multi-domain structure at the molecular level. In nature, BoNTs are encoded by DNA in producing clostridial bacteria and, as such, are amenable to recombinant production through insertion of the coding DNA into other bacterial species. This, in turn, creates possibilities for protein engineering. Here, we review the production of BoNTs by the natural host and also recombinant production approaches utilised in the field. Applications of recombinant BoNT-production include the generation of BoNT-derived domain fragments, the creation of novel BoNTs with improved performance and enhanced therapeutic potential, as well as the advancement of BoNT vaccines. In this article, we discuss site directed mutagenesis, used to affect the biological properties of BoNTs, including approaches to alter their binding to neurons and to alter the specificity and kinetics of substrate cleavage. We also discuss the target secretion inhibitor (TSI) platform, in which the neuronal binding domain of BoNTs is substituted with an alternative cellular ligand to re-target the toxins to non-neuronal systems. Understanding and harnessing the potential of the biological diversity of natural BoNTs, together with the ability to engineer novel mutations and further changes to the protein structure, will provide the basis for increasing the scope of future BoNT-based therapeutics

Role Of Childhood Aerobic Fitness In Successful Street Crossing

In this work, task complexity is considered as a multidimensional, integral characteristic of a task. The more complex a task is, the higher the cognitive demands for performing the task. Components of task complexity impose demands on the mental efforts of users. This article proposes a general approach to evaluate the complexity of computer-based tasks. The proposed principles of complexity evaluation and measures of complexity provide a proper basis for optimization, modification, and enhancement of the software design process. Experimental results support the effectiveness of the proposed method for both the design of man-machine systems and human-computer interfaces. The suggested methods and principles of complexity assessment derive from systemic-structural activity theory. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

Interplay between demographic, clinical and polygenic risk factors for severe COVID-19

Abstract Background We aimed to identify clinical, socio-demographic and genetic risk factors for severe COVID-19 (hospitalization, critical care admission or death) in the general population. Methods In this observational study, we identified 9560 UK Biobank participants diagnosed with COVID-19 during 2020. A polygenic risk score (PRS) for severe COVID-19 was derived and optimized using publicly available European and trans-ethnic COVID-19 genome-wide summary statistics. We estimated the risk of hospital or critical care admission within 28 days or death within 100 days following COVID-19 diagnosis, and assessed associations with socio-demographic factors, immunosuppressant use and morbidities reported at UK Biobank enrolment (2006–2010) and the PRS. To improve biological understanding, pathway analysis was performed using genetic variants comprising the PRS. Results We included 9560 patients followed for a median of 61 (interquartile range = 34–88) days since COVID-19 diagnosis. The risk of severe COVID-19 increased with age and obesity, and was higher in men, current smokers, those living in socio-economically deprived areas, those with historic immunosuppressant use and individuals with morbidities and higher co-morbidity count. An optimized PRS, enriched for single-nucleotide polymorphisms in multiple immune-related pathways, including the ‘oligoadenylate synthetase antiviral response’ and ‘interleukin-10 signalling’ pathways, was associated with severe COVID-19 (adjusted odds ratio 1.32, 95% CI 1.11–1.58 for the highest compared with the lowest PRS quintile). Conclusion This study conducted in the pre-SARS-CoV-2-vaccination era, emphasizes the novel insights to be gained from using genetic data alongside commonly considered clinical and socio-demographic factors to develop greater biological understanding of severe COVID-19 outcomes. </jats:sec