Linking experiences of child sexual abuse to adult sexual intimate partner violence: the role of borderline personality features, maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation, and dissociation

Stress and Psychopatholog

Characterisation of the Faecal Bacterial Community in Adult and Elderly Horses Fed a High Fibre, High Oil or High Starch Diet Using 454 Pyrosequencing

Faecal samples were collected from seventeen animals, each fed three different diets (high fibre, high fibre with a starch rich supplement and high fibre with an oil rich supplement). DNA was extracted and the V1–V2 regions of 16SrDNA were 454-pyrosequenced to investigate the faecal microbiome of the horse. The effect of age was also considered by comparing mature (8 horses aged 5–12) versus elderly horses (9 horses aged 19–28). A reduction in diversity was found in the elderly horse group. Significant differences between diets were found at an OTU level (52 OTUs at corrected Q<0.1). The majority of differences found were related to the Firmucutes phylum (37) with some changes in Bacteroidetes (6), Proteobacteria (3), Actinobacteria (2) and Spirochaetes (1). For the forage only diet,with no added starch or oil, we found 30/2934 OTUs (accounting for 15.9% of sequences) present in all horses. However the core (i.e. present in all horses) associated with the oil rich supplemented diet was somewhat smaller (25/3029 OTUs, 10.3% ) and the core associated with the starch rich supplemented diet was even smaller (15/2884 OTUs, 5.4% ). The core associated with samples across all three diets was extremely small (6/5689 OTUs accounting for only 2.3% of sequences) and dominated by the order Clostridiales, with the most abundant family being Lachnospiraceae. In conclusion, forage based diets plus starch or oil rich complementary feeds were associated with differences in the faecal bacterial community compared with the forage alone. Further, as observed in people, ageing is associated with a reduction in bacterial diversity. However there was no change in the bacterial community structure in these healthy animals associated with age

Causas de Morte em Doentes com Hemofilia: Estudo Retrospectivo de 1979 a 2007, no Serviço de Imunohemoterapia do HSJ

Neurokinin A (NKA) induces bronchoconstriction mediated by tachykinin NK2 receptors in animals and humans, and may be increased in asthma. Because beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonists are the most widely used bronchodilators in asthma, we investigated the effects of the beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonist fenoterol on NK2 receptor messenger RNA (mRNA) and receptor density as well as the functional responses of bovine tracheal smooth muscle to the NK2 receptor agonist [beta-Ala(8)]-NKA(4-10) in vitro, using Northern blot analysis, receptor binding, and organ bath studies. Incubation with fenoterol induced a time- and concentration-dependent upregulation of NK2 receptor mRNA (71% increase after 12 h at 10(-7) M fenoterol), which was abolished by propranolol (a nonselective beta-adrenoceptor agonist) and ICI118551 (a selective beta(2)-adrenoceptor antagonist), but not by CGP20712A (a selective beta(1)-adrenoceptor antagonist), indicating that fenoterol acts via beta(2)-adrenoceptors. These effects were mimicked by forskolin and prostaglandin E-2 (PGE,), both agents that increase cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), and by the cAMP analogue 8-bromo-cAMP. The upregulation was blocked by cycloheximide, indicating that it requires new protein synthesis, and was accompanied by an increase in both the stability of NK2 receptor mRNA and the rate of NK2 receptor gene transcription. Radioligand binding assay using the selective NK2 receptor antagonist [H-3]SR48968 showed a significant increase in the number of receptor binding sites after 12 h and 18 h, which was accompanied by an increased contractile responsiveness to the NK2 receptor agonist [beta-Ala(8)]-NKA(4-10). Dexamethasone completely prevented the fenoterol-induced increase in NK2 receptor mRNA and in the contractile response. We conclude that beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonists induce upregulation of functional NK2 receptors in airway smooth muscle by increasing cAMP, and that this can be prevented by a corticosteroid. The increased responsiveness could be relevant to asthma control and mortality

When Is a Principal Charged With an Agent’s Knowledge?

Question: Detecting species presence in vegetation and making visual assessment of abundances involve a certain amount of skill, and therefore subjectivity. We evaluated the magnitude of the error in data, and its consequences for evaluating temporal trends. Location: Swedish forest vegetation. Methods: Vegetation data were collected independently by two observers in 342 permanent 100-m2 plots in mature boreal forests. Each plot was visited by one observer from a group of 36 and one of two quality assessment observers. The cover class of 29 taxa was recorded, and presence/absence for an additional 50. Results: Overall, one third of each occurrence was missed by one of the two observers, but with large differences among species. There were more missed occurrences at low abundances. Species occurring at low abundance when present tended to be frequently overlooked. Variance component analyses indicated that cover data on 5 of 17 species had a significant observer bias. Observer-explained variance was &lt; 10% in 15 of 17 species. Conclusion: The substantial number of missed occurrences suggests poor power in detecting changes based on presence/absence data. The magnitude of observer bias in cover estimates was relatively small, compared with random error, and therefore potentially analytically tractable. Data in this monitoring system could be improved by a more structured working model during field work.Original publication: Milberg, P., Bergstedt, J., Fridman, J., Odell, G & Westerberg, L., Systematic and random variation in vegetation monitoring data, 2008, Journal of Vegetation Science, (19), 633-644. http://dx.doi.org/10.3170/2008-8-18423. Copyright: Opulus Press, http://www.opuluspress.se/index.ph

2-Deoxy-2-[F-18]fluoro-D-glucose Joint Uptake on Positron Emission Tomography Images: Rheumatoid Arthritis Versus Osteoarthritis

Purpose: Previous positron emission tomography (PET) studies have shown increased 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) uptake in joints of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and inflamed joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study compares FDG uptake in joints of RA and OA patients and FDG-uptake with clinical signs of inflammation. Procedures: FDG-PET scans of hands and wrists were performed in patients with RA and primary OA. PET data were compared with clinical data. Results: 29 % of RA joints and 6 % of OA joints showed elevated FDG-uptake. The level of uptake in PET-positive OA joints was not significantly different from that in RA joints. The majority of PET results of RA joints corresponded with clinical findings. Clinical synovitis was found some OA joints with FDG-uptake. Conclusions: FDG-uptake was observed in the majority of clinically inflamed RA joints and in a few OA joints with no significant difference in uptake level. The latter may be due to secondary synovitis

R&D policy instruments – a critical review of what we do and don’t know

In recent years, the term ‘policy instrument’ has been used more frequently with regard to R&D policy and innovation policy. What does this term mean? Where did it come from? What do we know about it, both with regard to the general field of policy studies but also in the specific context of R&D policy? This article examines the development of the notion of policy instruments as part of a body of research known as ‘policy design’. Over the last 50 years, there has been substantial progress in setting policy design on a more systematic basis, with the development of established concepts and analytical frameworks, including various taxonomies of policy instruments. However, with just a few exceptions, this body of research seems to have had little impact in the world of R&D policy. The paper reviews the literature on R&D policy instruments. It identifies a number of challenges for R&D policy instruments in the light of four transitions – the shift from linear to systemic thinking about R&D and innovation, the shift from national governments to multi-level governance, the shift from individual actors to collaborations and networks, and the shift from individual policies to policy mixes. It sets out a research agenda for the study of R&D policy instruments, before ending with a number of conclusions

Modeling the innate inflammatory cGAS/STING pathway: sexually dimorphic effects on microglia and cognition in obesity and prediabetes

IntroductionThe prevalence of obesity, prediabetes, and diabetes continues to grow worldwide. These metabolic dysfunctions predispose individuals to neurodegenerative diseases and cognitive impairment, including dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease related dementias (AD/ADRD). The innate inflammatory cGAS/STING pathway plays a pivotal role in metabolic dysfunction and is an emerging target of interest in multiple neurodegenerative diseases, including AD/ADRD. Therefore, our goal was to establish a murine model to specifically target the cGAS/STING pathway to study obesity- and prediabetes-induced cognitive impairment.MethodsWe performed two pilot studies in cGAS knockout (cGAS-/-) male and female mice designed to characterize basic metabolic and inflammatory phenotypes and examine the impact of high-fat diet (HFD) on metabolic, inflammatory, and cognitive parameters.ResultscGAS-/- mice displayed normal metabolic profiles and retained the ability to respond to inflammatory stimuli, as indicated by an increase in plasma inflammatory cytokine production in response to lipopolysaccharide injection. HFD feeding caused expected increases in body weight and decreases in glucose tolerance, although onset was accelerated in females versus males. While HFD did not increase plasma or hippocampal inflammatory cytokine production, it did alter microglial morphology to a state indicative of activation, particularly in female cGAS-/- mice. However, HFD negatively impacted cognitive outcomes in male, but not female animals.DiscussionCollectively, these results suggest that cGAS-/- mice display sexually dimorphic responses to HFD, possibly based on differences in microglial morphology and cognition

Contribution to the understanding of tribological properties of graphite intercalation compounds with metal chloride

Intrinsic tribological properties of lamellar compounds are usually attributed to the presence of van der Waals gaps in their structure through which interlayer interactions are weak. The controlled variation of the distances and interactions between graphene layers by intercalation of electrophilic species in graphite is used in order to explore more deeply the friction reduction properties of low-dimensional compounds. Three graphite intercalation compounds with antimony pentachloride, iron trichloride and aluminium trichloride are studied. Their tribological properties are correlated to their structural parameters, and the interlayer interactions are deduced from ab initio bands structure calculations

Increased activation of the left hippocampus region in Complex PTSD during encoding and recognition of emotional wordt: A pilot study.

FSW - Self-regulation models for health behavior and Psychopathology - Ou

Consistent phenological shifts in the making of a biodiversity hotspot: the Cape flora

Background The best documented survival responses of organisms to past climate change on short (glacial-interglacial) timescales are distributional shifts. Despite ample evidence on such timescales for local adaptations of populations at specific sites, the long-term impacts of such changes on evolutionary significant units in response to past climatic change have been little documented. Here we use phylogenies to reconstruct changes in distribution and flowering ecology of the Cape flora - South Africa's biodiversity hotspot - through a period of past (Neogene and Quaternary) changes in the seasonality of rainfall over a timescale of several million years. Results Forty-three distributional and phenological shifts consistent with past climatic change occur across the flora, and a comparable number of clades underwent adaptive changes in their flowering phenology (9 clades; half of the clades investigated) as underwent distributional shifts (12 clades; two thirds of the clades investigated). Of extant Cape angiosperm species, 14-41% have been contributed by lineages that show distributional shifts consistent with past climate change, yet a similar proportion (14-55%) arose from lineages that shifted flowering phenology. Conclusions Adaptive changes in ecology at the scale we uncover in the Cape and consistent with past climatic change have not been documented for other floras. Shifts in climate tolerance appear to have been more important in this flora than is currently appreciated, and lineages that underwent such shifts went on to contribute a high proportion of the flora's extant species diversity. That shifts in phenology, on an evolutionary timescale and on such a scale, have not yet been detected for other floras is likely a result of the method used; shifts in flowering phenology cannot be detected in the fossil record