More than a magazine: exploring the links between lads’ mags, rape myth acceptance and rape proclivity

Exposure to some magazines aimed at young male readers – lads’ mags – has recently been associated with behaviors and attitudes that are derogatory towards women, including sexual violence. In the present study, a group of Spanish adult men were exposed to the covers of a lads’ mag while a second group was exposed to the covers of a neutral magazine. Results showed that, compared to participants in the second group, participants who were exposed to covers of lads’ mags who also showed high rape myth acceptance (RMA) and legitimized the consumption of such magazines reported higher rape proclivity in a hypothetical situation. These findings suggest the need to further explore the possible detrimental effects of some sexualized media that are widely accepted in many Western countries

Effects of non-pharmacological interventions on inflammatory biomarker expression in patients with fibromyalgia: A systematic review

Introduction: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a prevalent disorder. However, few studies have evaluated the effect of treatment interventions on biomarker expression. The aim of this review was to explore the efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions on inflammatory biomarker expression, specifically cytokines, neuropeptides and C-reactive protein (CRP), in FM patients. Method: A literature search using PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and the Cochrane library was performed from January 1990 to March 2015. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs published in English, French or Spanish were eligible. Results: Twelve articles with a total of 536 participants were included. After exercise, multidisciplinary, or dietary interventions in FM patients, interleukin (IL) expression appeared reduced, specifically serum IL-8 and IL-6 (spontaneous, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced, or serum). Furthermore, the changes to insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels might indicate a beneficial role for fatigue in obese FM patients. In contrast, evidence of changes in neuropeptide and CRP levels seemed inconsistent. Conclusion: Despite minimal evidence, our findings indicate that exercise interventions might act as an anti-inflammatory treatment in FM patients and ameliorate inflammatory status, especially for pro-inflammatory cytokines. Additional RCTs focused on the changes to inflammatory biomarker expression after non-pharmacological interventions in FM patients are needed

Burnout subtypes and their clinical implications: A theoretical proposal for specific therapeutic approaches

Abstract: Burnout is associated with a poor perception of health status, psychosomatic disorders and physical illness. The aim of this study is to construct a comprehensive theoretical proposal for a therapeutic intervention that is sensitive to the different clinical manifestations of this state. In order to do this, the frenetic, under-challenged and worn-out subtypes of burnout are presented in a systematic manner, together with the interventions that may provide suitable management for each subtype. Said clinical profiles may represent different stages in the progression of burnout, and have specific dysfunctional mechanisms that require a choice of adjusted intervention strategies according to the characteristics of each particular case. Finally, the degree of dedication to work and its clinical repercussions are put forward as a hypothesis to explain the progressive impairment caused by burnout, and as a target on which primary, secondary and tertiary prevention strategies could be founded.Resumen: Subtipos de burnout e implicaciones clínicas: Una propuesta teórica basada en abordajes terapéuticos específicos. El burnout se asocia con un peor estatus de salud percibida, trastornos psicosomáticos y enfermedades físicas. El objetivo del presente trabajo es articular una propuesta teórica comprehensiva de intervención terapéutica sensible a las diferen­tes manifestaciones clínicas de dicho estado. Para ello, se presentan de forma sistemática los subtipos de burnout frenético, sin-desafíos y desgastado, así como las intervenciones que pueden proporcionar un adecuado manejo de cada subtipo. Dichos perfiles clínicos parecen representar momentos diferentes en la progresión del burnout, con mecanismos disfuncionales especí­ficos, que obligan a optar por estrategias de intervención ajustadas a las características de cada caso en particular. Finalmente, se propone el grado de dedicación en el trabajo, y sus repercusiones clínicas, como hipótesis para explicar la progresiva erosión que supone el burnout, y como eje sobre el que fundamentar las estrategias de prevención primaria, secundaria y terciaria.Abstract: Burnout is associated with a poor perception of health status, psychosomatic disorders and physical illness. The aim of this study is to construct a comprehensive theoretical proposal for a therapeutic intervention that is sensitive to the different clinical manifestations of this state. In order to do this, the frenetic, under-challenged and worn-out subtypes of burnout are presented in a systematic manner, together with the interventions that may provide suitable management for each subtype. Said clinical profiles may represent different stages in the progression of burnout, and have specific dysfunctional mechanisms that require a choice of adjusted intervention strategies according to the characteristics of each particular case. Finally, the degree of dedication to work and its clinical repercussions are put forward as a hypothesis to explain the progressive impairment caused by burnout, and as a target on which primary, secondary and tertiary prevention strategies could be founded.Resumen: Subtipos de burnout e implicaciones clínicas: Una propuesta teórica basada en abordajes terapéuticos específicos. El burnout se asocia con un peor estatus de salud percibida, trastornos psicosomáticos y enfermedades físicas. El objetivo del presente trabajo es articular una propuesta teórica comprehensiva de intervención terapéutica sensible a las diferen­tes manifestaciones clínicas de dicho estado. Para ello, se presentan de forma sistemática los subtipos de burnout frenético, sin-desafíos y desgastado, así como las intervenciones que pueden proporcionar un adecuado manejo de cada subtipo. Dichos perfiles clínicos parecen representar momentos diferentes en la progresión del burnout, con mecanismos disfuncionales especí­ficos, que obligan a optar por estrategias de intervención ajustadas a las características de cada caso en particular. Finalmente, se propone el grado de dedicación en el trabajo, y sus repercusiones clínicas, como hipótesis para explicar la progresiva erosión que supone el burnout, y como eje sobre el que fundamentar las estrategias de prevención primaria, secundaria y terciaria

Gold(I) Carbenoids: On-Demand Access to Gold(I) Carbenes in Solution

Chloromethylgold(I) complexes of phosphine, phosphite, and N-heterocyclic carbene ligands are easily synthesized by reaction of trimethylsilyldiazomethane with the corresponding gold chloride precursors. Activation of these gold(I) carbenoids with a variety of chloride scavengers promotes reactivity typical of metallocarbenes in solution, namely homocoupling to ethylene, olefin cyclopropanation, and Buchner ring expansion of benzene

Temperature-dependence of the hyperfine interaction in the cubic phase of BaHfO₃

The temperature dependence of the hyperfine interaction in the paraelectric phase of BaHfO₃ in the temperature range from liquid-nitrogen temperature to 1350 K has been studied. The experimental results show an Abragam-Pound mechanism for the attenuation of the angular correlation. In this cubic structure the attenuation would be consistent with a relaxation mechanism that involves O-ion hopping between vacant sites in the lattice. Using the point-charge model for the estimation of the electric field gradient produced by an O vacancy in the coordination sphere of the probe ion, the process is characterized by a correlation time τ_(c) = 12 ± 1 ps at RT

Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on biomarkers in healthy and cancer populations: A systematic review

Background: Only a small number of articles have investigated the relationship between mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and biomarkers. The aim of this systematic review was to study the effect of MBIs on specific biomarkers (cytokines, neuropeptides and C-reactive protein (CRP)) in both healthy subjects and cancer patients. Methods: A search was conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and the Cochrane library between 1980 and September 2016. Results: A total of 13 studies with 1110 participants were included. In the healthy population, MBIs had no effect on cytokines, but were found to increase the levels of the neuropeptide insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). With respect to neuropeptide Y, despite the absence of post-intervention differences, MBIs may enhance recovery from stress. With regard to CRP, MBIs could be effective in lower Body Mass Index (BMI) individuals. In cancer patients, MBIs seem to have some effect on cytokine levels, although it was not possible to determine which specific cytokines were affected. One possibility is that MBIs might aid recovery of the immune system, increasing the production of interleukin (IL)-4 and decreasing interferon gamma (IFN-¿). Conclusions: MBIs may be involved in changes from a depressive/carcinogenic profile to a more normalized one. However, given the complexity and different contexts of the immune system, and the fact that this investigation is still in its preliminary stage, additional randomized controlled trials are needed to further establish the impact of MBI programmes on biomarkers in both clinical and non-clinical populations

A group II intron-encoded protein interacts with the cellular replicative machinery through the ß-sliding clamp

Group II introns are self-splicing mobile genetic retroelements. The spliced intron RNA and the intron-encoded protein (IEP) form ribonucleoprotein particles (RNPs) that recognize and invade specific DNA target sites. The IEP is a reverse transcriptase/maturase that may bear a C-terminal endonuclease domain enabling the RNP to cleave the target DNA strand to prime reverse transcription. However, some mobile introns, such as RmInt1, lack the En domain but nevertheless retrohome efficiently to transient single-stranded DNA target sites at a DNA replication fork. Their mobility is associated with host DNA replication, and they use the nascent lagging strand as a primer for reverse transcription. We searched for proteins that interact with RmInt1 RNPs and direct these RNPs to the DNA replication fork. Co-immunoprecipitation assays suggested that DnaN (the ß-sliding clamp), a component of DNA polymerase III, interacts with the protein component of the RmInt1 RNP. Pulldown assays, far-western blots and biolayer interferometry supported this interaction. Peptide binding assays also identified a putative DnaN-interacting motif in the RmInt1 IEP structurally conserved in group II intron IEPs. Our results suggest that intron RNP interacts with the ß-sliding clamp of the DNA replication machinery, favouring reverse splicing into the transient ssDNA at DNA replication forks

Una experiencia práctica reutilizando aspectos

Este art´ıculo cuenta nuestra experiencia obtenida tras haber realizado un proyecto utilizando la tecnolog´ıa de aspectos AspectJ, y plantearsenos el hecho de reutilizar los aspectos definidos en el mismo con un nuevo proyecto a desarrollar. En definitiva, comprobar de forma pr´actica el grado de reutilizaci´on que tienen los aspectos en distintas aplicaciones

Structural and magnetic characterization of oleic acid and oleylamine-capped gold nanoparticles

In this work the study of oleic acid and oleylamine-capped gold nanoparticles is presented. The structural characterization of the sample shows 6.7 nm gold nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution. The experimental optical absorption spectrum has a maximum at 2.35 eV. The calculated optical absorption spectrum is shifted and narrower than the experimental one, indicating that the oleic acid and oleylamine do not merely passivate the metallic nanoparticles but modify its electronic structure. These gold nanoparticles show in addition a kind of magnetic order similar to other organic passivated gold nanoparticles as thiol-capped gold nanoparticles. Although the magnetic interactions seem to be weaker than in thiol-capped ones, the magnetic behavior looks similar to that, i.e., an invariant temperature dependence of the magnetization from 5 to 300 K and a noticeable coercive field. We analyze the influence of the organic layer bonding the nanoparticles on the magnetic behavior