Comparison of Charcoal and Tree-Ring Records of Recent Fires in The Northern Rocky Mountains, Kalispell, MT, USA

In the Northern Rocky Mountains, climate and vegetation histories have been developed using charcoal and pollen deposits in the sediment of lakes to determine the effect of changing climate on species distribution and disturbance regimes through time. However, few studies have been done on the spatial and temporal accuracy of these charcoal and pollen sediment strata analyses. In this study we created a dendrochronological fire history using fire-scarred trees in the watershed of Foy Lake in the Flathead Valley, MT, to determine the synchronicity between two fire proxies: the watershed’s tree fire scar chronology and the dated charcoal in the sediment lake strata. I also compared Foy Lake’s charcoal profile to six other tree-ring based fire histories that were developed within 120 kilometers of Foy Lake to evaluate the registry of regional fires in Foy Lake’s charcoal sediment fire history. I found that of the 31 fire years shared among tree-ring fire history sites in the region, 12 registered as significant charcoal peaks in Foy Lake. Of those 12 fire years, eight of them took place in the Foy Lake watershed. Also, of the 19 filtered fire years with two or more scars found in the Foy Lake watershed, only seven corresponded with charcoal peaks in the lake with little or no lag time, but fire years with only one scar found matched most and left few charcoal peaks unaccounted for. This study will enable paleoecologists to better interpret charcoal sediment results, assured that local charcoal deposition is likely the primary contributor to a lake’s sediment charcoal record. Large fire years that did not occur in the local watershed may not register in the lake strata, and climate inferences from charcoal particle presence in a single lake may be skewed

Coping with Illness Experiences in Patients with Schizophrenia: The Role of Peacefulness

Background: The relationship between spirituality and schizophrenia is a largely unexplored, yet important area of research in psychiatry given its role in recovery from mental illness and in long-term care. Peacefulness, as one of the primary consequences of spirituality, was found to be most prominently associated with the emotional well-beings. This analysis aims to explore the concept of peacefulness among schizophrenic patients and its effect on their illness experiences. Methods: Eighteen early-stage schizophrenic patients were recruited from the outpatient clinic of a hospital in Hong Kong for an in-depth individual interview. Data were analyzed with grounded theory techniques. Results: Peacefulness has an emotional component and a cognitive component. The participants described peacefulness as a carefree state of mind that consisted of an inner sense of tranquility (the emotional component) and perceived freedom (the cognitive component). Their illness experiences were a vicious circle that was formed and maintained by distress (negative emotions) and preoccupation (distorted cognition). They believed that an inner sense of tranquility (the emotional component) facilitated the regulation of their distress, leaving them more cognitive resources to stabilize their chaotic minds, whereas perceived freedom (cognitive component) created an intra psychic moment and space with no stress to free the patients from their preoccupation. Conclusion: Peacefulness is able to break the vicious circle of patient’s illness experiences by moderating distress and preoccupation. In addition, it may help promote patients’ personal resilience and self-efficacy, which are important for coping with residual symptoms, maintaining the patients’ mental health and preventing relapse.published_or_final_versio

Metronidazole Causes Skeletal Muscle Atrophy and Modulates Muscle Chronometabolism.

Antibiotics lead to increased susceptibility to colonization by pathogenic organisms, with different effects on the host-microbiota relationship. Here, we show that metronidazole treatment of specific pathogen-free (SPF) mice results in a significant increase of the bacterial phylum <i>Proteobacteria</i> in fecal pellets. Furthermore, metronidazole in SPF mice decreases hind limb muscle weight and results in smaller fibers in the tibialis anterior muscle. In the gastrocnemius muscle, metronidazole causes upregulation of <i>Hdac4</i> , <i>myogenin</i> , <i>MuRF1</i> , and <i>atrogin1</i> , which are implicated in skeletal muscle neurogenic atrophy. Metronidazole in SPF mice also upregulates skeletal muscle <i>FoxO3</i> , described as involved in apoptosis and muscle regeneration. Of note, alteration of the gut microbiota results in increased expression of the muscle core clock and effector genes <i>Cry2</i> , <i>Ror</i> - <i>β</i> , and <i>E4BP4</i> . <i>PPARγ</i> and one of its important target genes, <i>adiponectin</i> , are also upregulated by metronidazole. Metronidazole in germ-free (GF) mice increases the expression of other core clock genes, such as <i>Bmal1</i> and <i>Per2</i> , as well as the metabolic regulators <i>FoxO1</i> and <i>Pdk4</i> , suggesting a microbiota-independent pharmacologic effect. In conclusion, metronidazole in SPF mice results in skeletal muscle atrophy and changes the expression of genes involved in the muscle peripheral circadian rhythm machinery and metabolic regulation

The psychophysiological effects of Tai-chi and exercise in residential Schizophrenic patients: a 3-arm randomized controlled trial

Background Patients with schizophrenia are characterized by high prevalence rates and chronicity that often leads to long-term institutionalization. Under the traditional medical model, treatment usually emphasizes the management of psychotic symptoms through medication, even though anti-psychotic drugs are associated with severe side effects, which can diminish patients’ physical and psychological well-being. Tai-chi, a mind-body exercise rooted in Eastern health philosophy, emphasizes the motor coordination and relaxation. With these potential benefits, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) is planned to investigate the effects of Tai-chi intervention on the cognitive and motor deficits characteristic of patients with schizophrenia. Methods/design A 3-arm RCT with waitlist control design will be used in this study. One hundred and fifty three participants will be randomized into (i) Tai-chi, (ii) exercise or (iii) waitlist control groups. Participants in both the Tai-chi and exercise groups will receive 12-weeks of specific intervention, in addition to the standard medication and care received by the waitlist control group. The exercise group will serve as a comparison, to delineate any unique benefits of Tai-chi that are independent of moderate aerobic exercise. All three groups will undergo three assessment phases: (i) at baseline, (ii) at 12 weeks (post-intervention), and (iii) at 24 weeks (maintenance). All participants will be assessed in terms of symptom management, motor coordination, memory, daily living function, and stress levels based on self-perceived responses and a physiological marker. Discussion Based on a promising pilot study conducted prior to this RCT, subjects in the Tai-chi intervention group are expected to be protected against deterioration of motor coordination and interpersonal functioning. They are also expected to have better symptoms management and lower stress level than the other treatment groups.published_or_final_versio

Depletion of Gram-Positive Bacteria Impacts Hepatic Biological Functions During the Light Phase.

Living organisms display internal biological rhythms, which are an evolutionarily conserved adaptation to the environment that drives their rhythmic behavioral and physiological activities. The gut microbiota has been proposed, in association with diet, to regulate the intestinal peripheral clock. However, the effect of gut dysbiosis on liver remains elusive, despite that germfree mice show alterations in liver metabolic functions and the hepatic daily rhythm. We analyzed whether the disruption of gut microbial populations with various antibiotics would differentially impact liver functions in mice. Our results support the notion of an impact on the hepatic biological rhythm by gram-positive bacteria. In addition, we provide evidence for differential roles of gut microbiota spectra in xenobiotic metabolism that could protect against the harmful pharmacological effects of drugs. Our results underscore a possible link between liver cell proliferation and gram-positive bacteria

Three Novel Mutations in the PHEX Gene in Chinese Subjects with Hypophosphatemic Rickets Extends Genotypic Variability

Mutations in the phosphate-regulating endopeptidase homolog, X-linked, gene (PHEX), which encodes a zinc-dependent endopeptidase that is involved in bone mineralization and renal phosphate reabsorption, cause the most common form of hypophosphatemic rickets, X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets (XLH). The distribution of PHEX mutations is extensive, but few mutations have been identified in Chinese with XLH. We extracted genomic DNA and total RNA from leukocytes obtained from nine unrelated Chinese subjects (three males and six females, age range 11–36 years) who were living in Taiwan. The PHEX gene was amplified from DNA by PCR, and the amplicons were directly sequenced. Expression studies were performed by reverse-transcription PCR of leukocyte RNA. Serum levels of FGF23 were significantly greater in the patients than in normal subjects (mean 69.4 ± 18.8 vs. 27.2 ± 8.4 pg/mL, P < 0.005), and eight of the nine patients had elevated levels of FGF23. Germline mutations in the PHEX gene were identified in five of 9 patients, including novel c.1843 delA, donor splice site mutations c.663+2delT and c.1899+2T>A, and two previously reported missense mutations, p.C733Y and p.G579R. These data extend the spectrum of mutations in the PHEX gene in Han Chinese and confirm variability for XLH in Taiwan

Genetic diagnosis of X-linked dominant hypophosphatemic rickets in a cohort study: Tubular reabsorption of phosphate and 1,25(OH)2D serum levels are associated with PHEX mutation type

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Genetic Hypophosphatemic Rickets (HR) is a group of diseases characterized by renal phosphate wasting with inappropriately low or normal 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃(1,25(OH)₂D) serum levels. The most common form of HR is X-linked dominant HR (XLHR) which is caused by inactivating mutations in the <it>PHEX </it>gene. The purpose of this study was to perform genetic diagnosis in a cohort of patients with clinical diagnosis of HR, to perform genotype-phenotype correlations of those patients and to compare our data with other HR cohort studies.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Forty three affected individuals from 36 non related families were analyzed. For the genetic analysis, the <it>PHEX </it>gene was sequenced in all of the patients and in 13 cases the study was complemented by mRNA sequencing and Multiple Ligation Probe Assay. For the genotype-phenotype correlation study, the clinical and biochemical phenotype of the patients was compared with the type of mutation, which was grouped into clearly deleterious or likely causative, using the Mann-Whitney and Fisher's exact test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mutations in the <it>PHEX </it>gene were identified in all the patients thus confirming an XLHR. Thirty four different mutations were found distributed throughout the gene with higher density at the 3' end. The majority of the mutations were novel (69.4%), most of them resulted in a truncated PHEX protein (83.3%) and were family specific (88.9%). Tubular reabsorption of phosphate (TRP) and 1,25(OH)₂D serum levels were significantly lower in patients carrying clearly deleterious mutations than in patients carrying likely causative ones (61.39 ± 19.76 vs. 80.14 ± 8.80%, p = 0.028 and 40.93 ± 30.73 vs. 78.46 ± 36.27 pg/ml, p = 0.013).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>PHEX </it>gene mutations were found in all the HR cases analyzed, which was in contrast with other cohort studies. Patients with clearly deleterious <it>PHEX </it>mutations had lower TRP and 1,25(OH)₂D levels suggesting that the <it>PHEX </it>type of mutation might predict the XLHR phenotype severity.</p