Clinician emotional response toward narcissistic patients. A preliminary report

Patients with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) are among the most difficult to treat in therapy, especially for their strong resistance to treatment and several difficulties in establishing a therapeutic relationship characterized by intimacy, safety, and trust. In particular, therapists’ emotional responses to these patients can be particularly intense and frustrating, as often reported in the clinical literature; however, rarely they were investigated empirically. The aims of this preliminary study were: 1) to examine the associations between patients’ narcissistic personality disorder and distinct therapists’ countertransference patterns; and 2) to verify whether these clinicians’ emotional reactions were influenced by theoretical orientation, gender and age. A national sample of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists (N = 250) completed the Therapist Response Questionnaire (TRQ) to identify patterns of therapist emotional response, and the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure-200 (SWAP-200) to assess personality disorder and level of psychological functioning in a patient currently in their care, and with whom they had worked for a minimum of eight sessions and a maximum of 6 months (one session per week). From the complete therapist sample, we identified a subgroup (N = 35) of patients with NPD. Results showed that NPD was positively associated with criticized/mistreated and disengaged countertransference, and negatively associated with positive therapist response. Moreover, the relationship between patients’ NPD and therapists’ emotional responses was not dependent on clinicians’ theoretical approach (as well as their age and gender). These findings are consistent with clinical observations, as well as some empirical contributions, and have meaningful implications for clinical practice of patients suffering from this challenging pathology

Lettere scientifiche e non solo tra un premio Nobel e un giovane scienziato

The book presents the correspondence, from the 1950s to the end of the following decade, between the Nobel Prize laureate, Giulio Natta, and a young Enzo Ferroni, who will be then one of the founders of "chemistry applied to restoration". Almost sixty years later, this research has made it possible to recover the memory of Ferroni as an avant-garde scientist also in the field of macromolecules and the possibility offered to him by Natta of a prestigious role as a researcher at his institute in Milan. The archives, even the scientific ones, can reserve surprises of this kind: they are prolific in technical data but also reveal traces of humanity. The volume also includes the joint publication of the two chemists and seven articles by Ferroni presented by Natta at the Accademia dei Lincei

The dextrorotatory sweet asparagine of Arnaldo Piutti: the original product is conserved in Florence

In 1886, Pasteur presented a note on the work of the Italian chemist Arnaldo Piutti concerning the difference between the two physical isomers (enantiomers) of asparagine. The octahedral crystal of asparagine appeared only as “levorotatory hemihedralism” but, in principle, should also exist as a dextrorotatory asparagine with a symmetric crystalline form. In 1886 Arnaldo Piutti isolated the dextrorotatory asparagines while he was working as an assistant of Ugo Schiff in Florence. He obtained also another unexpected information, of which only Pasteur immediately understood the importance: the dextrorotatory aspargine had a sweet taste. The dextrorotatory sweet asparagine of Arnaldo Piutti is conserved in the Schiff Collection of the Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff” at the University of Florence, and is the first compound where a relationship between the optical isomerism of a molecule and a different response of human receptors, in this case the taste, was observed

Transapical off-pump mitral valve repair with Neochord Implantation (TOP-MINI): step-by-step guide

open10openColli, Andrea; Zucchetta, Fabio; Torregrossa, Gianluca; Manzan, Erica; Bizzotto, Eleonora; Besola, Laura; Bellu, Roberto; Sarais, Cristiano; Pittarello, Demetrio; Gerosa, GinoColli, Andrea; Zucchetta, Fabio; Torregrossa, Gianluca; Manzan, Erica; Bizzotto, Eleonora; Besola, Laura; Bellu, Roberto; Sarais, Cristiano; Pittarello, Demetrio; Gerosa, Gin

Molecular characterization of cryptic and sympatric lymnaeid species from the Galba/Fossaria group in Mendoza Province, Northern Patagonia, Argentina

Background Freshwater lymnaeid snails can act as the intermediate hosts for trematode parasites such as the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica, that cause significant economic and biomedical burden worldwide, particularly through bovine fascioliasis. Transmission potential is tightly coupled to local compatibility with snail hosts, so accurate identification of lymnaeid species is crucial for understanding disease risk, especially when invasive species are encountered. Mendoza Province, in Argentina, is a center of livestock production and also an area of endemic fascioliasis transmission. However, the distribution of lymnaeid species in the region is not well known. Methods This study examined lymnaeid snails from seven localities in the Department of Malarguë, Mendoza Province, using morphological and molecular analyses and also describing ecological variables associated with snail presence. Results While morphological characters identified two species of lymnaeid, Galba truncatula and G. viatrix, molecular data revealed a third, cryptic species, G. neotropica, which was sympatric with G. viatrix. G. truncatula was exclusively found in high altitude (>1900 meters above sea level [masl]) sites, whereas mixed G. neotropica/G. viatrix localities were at middle elevations (1300–1900 masl), and G. viatrix was found alone at the lowest altitude sites (<1300 masl). Phylogenetic analysis using two mitochondrial markers revealed G. neotropica and G. viatrix to be closely related, and given their morphological similarities, their validities as separate taxonomic entities should be questioned. Conclusions This study highlights the need of a robust taxonomic framework for the identification of lymnaeid snails, incorporating molecular, morphological and ecological variables while avoiding nomenclature redundancy. As the three species observed here, including one alien invasive species, are considered hosts of varying susceptibility to Fasciola parasites, and given the economic importance of fascioliasis for livestock production, this research has critical importance for the ultimate aim of controlling disease transmission

Conservation of Paleontological Finds: the Restoration Materials of the “Problematica Verrucana”

The materials used in the historical restoration of a fossil collection named “Problematica Verrucana”, have been studied in order to contribute to the creation of a catalogue of restoration materials used in the past. Due to the complexity of the mixtures used with different purposes to restore fossil finds, an extractive technique has been employed in order to separate the compounds soluble in solvents with different polarities. Using this procedure several components, even when found in small amounts, have been identified. The chemical composition of the organic and inorganic compounds used in the restoration material has been determined using extractive procedure, FT-IR and 1H-NMR spectroscopies. A preliminary macroscopic characterisation and mineralogical and petrographical analyses have also been performed on the inorganic filling materials found in several samples. The different compositions of various materials used in the restoration of this fossil collection might be related to the particular conservative and esthetic functions of the product applied on the find

Thelephora dominicana (Agaricomycetes, Fungi), un nuevo registro para México

Background and Aims: The genus Thelephora belongs to Thelephoraceae, Thelephorales, Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota, and corresponds to ectomycorrhizal macrofungi, with at least 50 species known around the world. Of these, 28 are found in tropical and subtropical ecosystems. Nevertheless, it is considered they are poorly known in the tropics. Therefore, the objective of this work was to contribute to the knowledge of tropical thelephoraceous fungi present in an area relatively unexplored in Mexico from the mycological point of view, such as the Yucatán state. Methods: Collections were made in a subdeciduous seasonal dry forest in the south of the Yucatán state, in Tekax municipality, during the rainy season of August-December 2017 and June-August 2018. All the material was examined using macromorphological data from fresh specimens, and micromorphologically by basidiomata sections observed with the optical microscope. The specimens are deposited in the herbaria IBUG and UADY. Key results: Thelephora dominicana was only known from Dominican Republic, hence this record increases its distribution range. Moreover, we report its potential association with species of Fabaceae and Polygonaceae families, such as Coccoloba spp. and Gymnopodium floribundum. In Mexico, only nine species were previously reported in Thelephora, T. dominicana being the tenth one and the seventh for the Mexican Neotropical region. From the Yucatán peninsula, T. cervicornis was the only known species of this genus, thus this is the second one from this area. Conclusions: This is the first report of T. dominicana for Mexico and the second time worldwide.Antecedentes y Objetivos: El género Thelephora pertenece a Thelephoraceae, Thelephorales, Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota y corresponde a hongos ectomicorrizógenos, de los que se conocen al menos 50 especies alrededor del mundo. De ellas, 28 se encuentran en ecosistemas tropicales y subtropicales; no obstante, se considera que han sido escasamente estudiadas en los trópicos. Por consiguiente, el objetivo de este trabajo consistió en contribuir al conocimiento de los teleforáceos tropicales presentes en una zona relativamente no explorada desde el punto de vista micológico en México, como lo es el estado de Yucatán. Métodos: La recolecta se realizó en una selva mediana subcaducifolia al sur del estado de Yucatán, en el municipio Tekax, durante la temporada de lluvias de agosto-diciembre 2017 y de junio-agosto 2018. El material revisado se caracterizó macromorfológicamente a partir de ejemplares frescos, y micromorfológicamente mediante la observación al microscopio óptico de los basidiomas. Los ejemplares se encuentran depositados en los herbarios IBUG y UADY. Resultados clave: Thelephora dominicana solo se conocía de República Dominicana, por lo cual este registro amplía su rango de distribución. Se comenta su potencial asociación ecológica con especies de Fabaceae y Polygonaceae, en particular con Coccoloba spp. y Gymnopodium floribundum. Para México, únicamente se habían registrado nueve especies de este género. Thelephora dominicana constituye la décima especie mexicana y la séptima procedente del neotrópico mexicano. Para la península de Yucatán se conocía T. cervicornis, por lo que es la segunda especie en reportarse para la región. Conclusiones: Se reporta por primera vez para la micobiota mexicana a Thelephora dominicana y por segunda ocasión a nivel mundial

Clinical and genetic characterization of chanarin-dorfman syndrome patients: first report of large deletions in the ABHD5 gene

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chanarin-Dorfman syndrome (CDS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by nonbullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma (NCIE) and an intracellular accumulation of triacylglycerol (TG) droplets in most tissues. The clinical phenotype involves multiple organs and systems, including liver, eyes, ears, skeletal muscle and central nervous system (CNS). Mutations in ABHD5/CGI58 gene are associated with CDS.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Eight CDS patients belonging to six different families from Mediterranean countries were enrolled for genetic study. Molecular analysis of the ABHD5 gene included the sequencing of the 7 coding exons and of the putative 5' regulatory regions, as well as reverse transcript-polymerase chain reaction analysis and sequencing of normal and aberrant ABHD5 cDNAs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Five different mutations were identified, four of which were novel, including two splice-site mutations (c.47+1G>A and c.960+5G>A) and two large deletions (c.898_*320del and c.662-1330_773+46del). All the reported mutations are predicted to be pathogenic because they lead to an early stop codon or a frameshift producing a premature termination of translation. While nonsense, missense, frameshift and splice-site mutations have been identified in CDS patients, large genomic deletions have not previously been described.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results emphasize the need for an efficient approach for genomic deletion screening to ensure an accurate molecular diagnosis of CDS. Moreover, in spite of intensive molecular screening, no mutations were identified in one patient with a confirmed clinical diagnosis of CDS, appointing to genetic heterogeneity of the syndrome.</p

pPKC ε mediated metalloproteinase 2 and 9 levels upon ibuprofen and lipoic acid coniugate (codrug 1) treatment in an Alzheimer disease rat brain model

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) begins with loss of recent memory and is associated to pathological and histological hallmarks such as β amyloid plaques, neural tangles (NFT), cholinergic deficit, extensive neuronal loss and synaptic changes in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. The amyloid cascade hypothesis implies the activity of β, γ secretases which mediate the cleavage of Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP), the formation of amyloidogenic Aβ fragment (1-42), which compacts into amyloid plaques, while the cleavage by ? secretase of APP, within the Aβ segment forms sAPP and prevents the formation of Aβ (Zetterberg et al. 2010 Exp Gerontol 45, 23-29). Among the proteases which have Aβ-degrading activity, Metalloproteinase (MMP) 2, disclosing β secretase-like activity, is included, while MMP9 seems to contribute to neuronal death (Yan et al. 2006 J Biol Chem 281, 24566-74). In addition, intracellular signalling protein Protein Kinase C (PKC) can control ? secretase, preventing the formation of β amyloid, and prolonging the life span of AD (de Barry et al. 2010 Exp Gerontol 45, 64-69). A lipophilic molecular combination (codrug 1), obtained by joining an antioxidant molecule, lipoic acid, with an anti-inflammatory compound, ibuprofen (IBU) has been synthetized in our lab and administered in a chronic treatment during intracerebroventricular infusion of Aβ (1-40) peptide in rat brains as a model of AD (Sozio et al. 2010 Arch Pharm 343,133-42). Here we show the effects exerted by codrug 1 on PKC ε-mediated MMP2 and MMP9 levels regulation in Aβ (1-40) infused rat cerebral cortex. Interestingly codrug 1, lowering Metalloproteinases expression via PKC ε down-modulation, seems to control Alzheimer’s disease induced cerebral amyloid deposits, neuronal death and, lastly, behavioural deterioration. Moreover the cognitive test evidences that codrug 1 treatment decreases the number of reference memory errors and the time spent to perform the test suggesting this compound as an useful therapeutical tool against AD