Time Left for Intervention in the Suicidal Process in Borderline Personality Disorder

The objective of this study was to measure the duration of the suicidal process among patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The sample included 110 female patients who met DSM-IV-TR criteria for BPD and were consecutively admitted after suicide-related behavior. A total of 63 patients (58%) reported that their suicidal process lasted 10 minutes or less. After being adjusted, the β coefficient of impulsivity scales in women with a suicidal process ≤10 minutes was lower compared to those observed in women with >10 min (β = −0.03, 95% CI = −0.06 = −0.01, p < 0.01). Suicidal patients with BPD can be divided into two groups; patients who report a suicidal process less than 10 minutes show a higher degree of impulsivity.Fil: Daray, Federico Manuel. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Teti, Germán Leandro. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital Neuropsiquiátrico "Braulio A. Moyano"; ArgentinaFil: Rojas, Sasha M.. University Of Arkansas - Fayetteville; Estados UnidosFil: Fantini, Adrian Pablo. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital Neuropsiquiátrico "Braulio A. Moyano"; ArgentinaFil: Cárdenas Delgado, Christian. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital Neuropsiquiátrico "Braulio A. Moyano"; ArgentinaFil: Armesto, Arnaldo Raúl. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Derito, María N. C.. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital Neuropsiquiátrico "Braulio A. Moyano"; ArgentinaFil: Rebok, Federico. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital Neuropsiquiátrico "Braulio A. Moyano"; Argentin

Characterization of Trapped Lignin-Degrading Microbes in Tropical Forest Soil

Lignin is often the most difficult portion of plant biomass to degrade, with fungi generally thought to dominate during late stage decomposition. Lignin in feedstock plant material represents a barrier to more efficient plant biomass conversion and can also hinder enzymatic access to cellulose, which is critical for biofuels production. Tropical rain forest soils in Puerto Rico are characterized by frequent anoxic conditions and fluctuating redox, suggesting the presence of lignin-degrading organisms and mechanisms that are different from known fungal decomposers and oxygen-dependent enzyme activities. We explored microbial lignin-degraders by burying bio-traps containing lignin-amended and unamended biosep beads in the soil for 1, 4, 13 and 30 weeks. At each time point, phenol oxidase and peroxidase enzyme activity was found to be elevated in the lignin-amended versus the unamended beads, while cellulolytic enzyme activities were significantly depressed in lignin-amended beads. Quantitative PCR of bacterial communities showed more bacterial colonization in the lignin-amended compared to the unamended beads after one and four weeks, suggesting that the lignin supported increased bacterial abundance. The microbial community was analyzed by small subunit 16S ribosomal RNA genes using microarray (PhyloChip) and by high-throughput amplicon pyrosequencing based on universal primers targeting bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic communities. Community trends were significantly affected by time and the presence of lignin on the beads. Lignin-amended beads have higher relative abundances of representatives from the phyla Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria compared to unamended beads. This study suggests that in low and fluctuating redox soils, bacteria could play a role in anaerobic lignin decomposition

Respiration of (13)C-Labeled Substrates Added to Soil in the Field and Subsequent 16S rRNA Gene Analysis of (13)C-Labeled Soil DNA

Our goal was to develop a field soil biodegradation assay using (13)C-labeled compounds and identify the active microorganisms by analyzing 16S rRNA genes in soil-derived (13)C-labeled DNA. Our biodegradation approach sought to minimize microbiological artifacts caused by physical and/or nutritional disturbance of soil associated with sampling and laboratory incubation. The new field-based assay involved the release of (13)C-labeled compounds (glucose, phenol, caffeine, and naphthalene) to soil plots, installation of open-bottom glass chambers that covered the soil, and analysis of samples of headspace gases for (13)CO(2) respiration by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). We verified that the GC/MS procedure was capable of assessing respiration of the four substrates added (50 ppm) to 5 g of soil in sealed laboratory incubations. Next, we determined background levels of (13)CO(2) emitted from naturally occurring soil organic matter to chambers inserted into our field soil test plots. We found that the conservative tracer, SF(6), that was injected into the headspace rapidly diffused out of the soil chamber and thus would be of little value for computing the efficiency of retaining respired (13)CO(2). Field respiration assays using all four compounds were completed. Background respiration from soil organic matter interfered with the documentation of in situ respiration of the slowly metabolized (caffeine) and sparingly soluble (naphthalene) compounds. Nonetheless, transient peaks of (13)CO(2) released in excess of background were found in glucose- and phenol-treated soil within 8 h. Cesium-chloride separation of (13)C-labeled soil DNA was followed by PCR amplification and sequencing of 16S rRNA genes from microbial populations involved with (13)C-substrate metabolism. A total of 29 full sequences revealed that active populations included relatives of Arthrobacter, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Massilia, Flavobacterium, and Pedobacter spp. for glucose; Pseudomonas, Pantoea, Acinetobacter, Enterobacter, Stenotrophomonas, and Alcaligenes spp. for phenol; Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, and Variovorax spp. for naphthalene; and Acinetobacter, Enterobacter, Stenotrophomonas, and Pantoea spp. for caffeine

Types of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in patients admitted for suicide-related behavior

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is determined by the presence of any five of nine diagnostic criteria, leading patients with heterogeneous clinical features to be diagnosed under the same label without an individualized clinical and therapeutic approach. In response to this problem, Oldham proposed five types of BPD: affective, impulsive, aggressive, dependent and empty. The present study categorized a sample of BPD patients hospitalized due to suicide-related behavior according to Oldham’s BPD proposed subtypes, and evaluated their clinical and demographic characteristics. Data were obtained from a sample of 93 female patients admitted to the « Dr. Braulio A. Moyano » Neuropsychiatric Hospital following suicide-related behavior. A total of 87 patients were classified as affective (26 %), impulsive (37 %), aggressive (4 %), dependent (29 %), and empty (5 %). Patients classified as dependent were significantly older at the time of first suicide-related behavior (p = 0.0008) and reported significantly less events of previous suicide-related behaviors (p = 0.03), while patients classified as impulsive reported significantly higher rates of drug use (p = 0.02). Dependent, impulsive and affective BPD types were observed most frequently in our sample. Findings are discussed specific to demographic and clinical implications of BPD patients reporting concurrent suicidal behavior.Fil: Rebok, Federico. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Cátedra de Farmacología; Argentina. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital "Dr. Braulio A. Moyano"; Argentina. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Teti, Germán L.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Cátedra de Farmacología; Argentina. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital "Dr. Braulio A. Moyano"; ArgentinaFil: Fantini, Adrián P.. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital "Dr. Braulio A. Moyano"; ArgentinaFil: Cárdenas Delgado, Christian. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital "Dr. Braulio A. Moyano"; ArgentinaFil: Rojas, Sasha M.. University of Arkansas; Estados UnidosFil: Derito, María N. C.. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital "Dr. Braulio A. Moyano"; ArgentinaFil: Daray, Federico Manuel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Cátedra de Farmacología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Munger, Henry M.

Also available as a printed booklet and from the Dean of Faculty website https://theuniversityfaculty.cornell.edu/Memorial Statement for Henry M. Munger, who died in 2017. The memorial statements contained herein were prepared by the Office of the Dean of the University Faculty of Cornell University to honor its faculty for their service to the university

Madsen, Eugene Lewis

Also available as a printed booklet and from the Dean of Faculty website https://theuniversityfaculty.cornell.edu/Memorial Statement for Eugene Lewis Madsen, who died in 2017. The memorial statements contained herein were prepared by the Office of the Dean of the University Faculty of Cornell University to honor its faculty for their service to the university

Discovery of a bacterium, with distinctive dioxygenase, that is responsible for in situ biodegradation in contaminated sediment

Microorganisms maintain the biosphere by catalyzing biogeochemical processes, including biodegradation of organic chemical pollutants. Yet seldom have the responsible agents and their respective genes been identified. Here we used field-based stable isotopic probing (SIP) to discover a group of bacteria responsible for in situ metabolism of an environmental pollutant, naphthalene. We released (13)C-labeled naphthalene in a contaminated study site to trace the flow of pollutant carbon into the naturally occurring microbial community. Using GC/MS, molecular biology, and classical microbiological techniques we documented (13)CO(2) evolution (2.3% of the dose in 8 h), created a library of 16S rRNA gene clones from (13)C labeled sediment DNA, identified a taxonomic cluster (92 of 95 clones) from the microbial community involved in metabolism of the added naphthalene, and isolated a previously undescribed bacterium (strain CJ2) from site sediment whose 16S rRNA gene matched that of the dominant member (48%) of the clone library. Strain CJ2 is a β proteobacterium closely related to Polaromonas vacuolata. Moreover, strain CJ2 hosts the sequence of a naphthalene dioxygenase gene, prevalent in site sediment, detected before only in environmental DNA. This investigative strategy may have general application for elucidating the bases of many biogeochemical processes, hence for advancing knowledge and management of ecological and industrial systems that rely on microorganisms