Involvement of the V2 Vasopressin Receptor in Adaptation to Limited Water Supply

Mammals adapted to a great variety of habitats with different accessibility to water. In addition to changes in kidney morphology, e.g. the length of the loops of Henle, several hormone systems are involved in adaptation to limited water supply, among them the renal-neurohypophysial vasopressin/vasopressin receptor system. Comparison of over 80 mammalian V2 vasopressin receptor (V2R) orthologs revealed high structural and functional conservation of this key component involved in renal water reabsorption. Although many mammalian species have unlimited access to water there is no evidence for complete loss of V2R function indicating an essential role of V2R activity for survival even of those species. In contrast, several marsupial V2R orthologs show a significant increase in basal receptor activity. An increased vasopressin-independent V2R activity can be interpreted as a shift in the set point of the renal-neurohypophysial hormone circuit to realize sufficient water reabsorption already at low hormone levels. As found in other desert mammals arid-adapted marsupials show high urine osmolalities. The gain of basal V2R function in several marsupials may contribute to the increased urine concentration abilities and, therefore, provide an advantage to maintain water and electrolyte homeostasis under limited water supply conditions

The ocular albinism type 1 protein, an intracellular G protein-coupled receptor, regulates melanosome transport in pigment cells (vol 17, pg 3487, 2008)

no abstract availabl

Mental turmoil, suicide risk, illness perception, and temperament, and their impact on quality of life in chronic daily headache

To evaluate the relationship among quality of life, temperament, illness perception, and mental turmoil in patients affected by chronic daily headache with concomitant medication overuse headache. Participants were 116 consecutive adult outpatients admitted to the Department of General Medicine of the Sant’Andrea Hospital in Rome, between January 2007 and December 2007 with a diagnosis of chronic daily headache (illness duration >5 years). Patients were administered the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego-autoquestionnaire version (TEMPS-A), the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ), the Suicide Score Scale (SSS), and the Quality of Life Index (QL-Index). Twenty-eight percent of the patients evidenced moderate to severe depression, and 35% evidenced severe hopelessness. Analyses also indicated that quality of life, temperament, illness perception, and psychological turmoil are associated. However, a hierarchical multivariate regression analysis with quality of life as dependent variable indicated that only a model with mental turmoil variables may fit data; further, only the MINI suicidal intent resulted associated with quality of life (standardized regression coefficient = −0.55; t = −3.06; P < 0.01). Suicide risk may play a central role in affecting the quality of life of patients with chronic headache. The investigation of the interplay of factors that precipitate suicide risk should include assessment of chronic headache and its effects on wellbeing

Chronic migraine classification: current knowledge and future perspectives

In the field of so-called chronic daily headache, it is not easy for migraine that worsens progressively until it becomes daily or almost daily to find a precise and universally recognized place within the current international headache classification systems. In line with the 2006 revision of the second edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-2R), the current prevailing opinion is that this headache type should be named chronic migraine (CM) and be characterized by the presence of at least 15 days of headache per month for at least 3 consecutive months, with headache having the same clinical features of migraine without aura for at least 8 of those 15 days. Based on much evidence, though, a CM with the above characteristics appears to be a heterogeneous entity and the obvious risk is that its definition may be extended to include a variety of different clinical entities. A proposal is advanced to consider CM a subtype of migraine without aura that is characterized by a high frequency of attacks (10–20 days of headache per month for at least 3 months) and is distinct from transformed migraine (TM), which in turn should be included in the classification as a complication of migraine. Therefore, CM should be removed from its current coding position in the ICHD-2 and be replaced by TM, which has more restrictive diagnostic criteria (at least 20 days of headache per month for at least 1 year, with no more than 5 consecutive days free of symptoms; same clinical features of migraine without aura for at least 10 of those 20 days)

A Critical History of Psychotherapy, Volume2: From the Mid-20th to the 21st Century

This unique book offers a comprehensive overview of the history of psychotherapy. Volume 2 traces the evolution of psychotherapy from the 1950s and the later 20th century through to modern times, considering what the future of psychotherapy will look like

A Critica History of Psychotherapy, Volume 1: From Ancient Origins to the Mid-20th Century

This unique book offers a comprehensive overview of the history of psychotherapy. The first of two volumes, it traces the roots of psychotherapy in ancient times, through the influence of Freud and Jung, up the the events following World War II

Storia critica della psicoterapia

Dalla cura dell'anima alla psicoanalisi, dall'ipnosi alle terapie cognitivo-comportamentali, in nove capitoli gli autori ricostruiscono la storia delle diverse forme di psicoterapia, fino alle odierne versioni basate sulle evidenze empiriche. Il libro descrive l'evoluzione delle teorie ma anche il contesto storico nel quale terapeuti e pazienti hanno vissuto: la maggiore o minore fortuna delle diverse psicoterapie è dipesa anche dalla loro capacità di rispondere alle esigenze poste dai cambiamenti epocali che si sono verificati, in particolare tra la fine del vecchi millennio e l'inizio del nuovo. (Dalla quarta di copertina