The Emergence of Behavioral Addiction in DSM-5

The release of the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has sparked continuous debate about the structure, organization, and inclusion or exclusion of mental disorders. The term addiction made its first appearance in the manual with the category of Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders, after much anticipation from mental health professionals. With the emergence of behavioral (process) addictions in the diagnostic manual such as gambling disorder, it is likely that other mental disorders with similar features will follow suit. Speculation about other behaviors that could potentially be addictive includes Internet use, sex, shopping, exercise, and compulsive eating, among others. The goal of the current review is twofold: to explain the concept of behavioral addictions, including a focus on gambling and Internet gaming disorders, and to discuss how the emergence of process addictions may influence the work of human services practitioners. Clinical implications within the human services profession are also discussed

Distance Supervision in Human Services

As the use of technology increases, there are more opportunities for students and human service professionals to participate in education and supervision remotely. Distance supervision has become increasingly popular in the field of human services, providing educators and practitioners with new methods of professional communication. However, the use of technology in supervision also poses unique challenges for human service professionals and requires additional ethical considerations. The following will address the above points as well as review both asynchronous and synchronous delivery methods for distance learning supervision and their utility for providing supervision in the field of human services

Development of chick embryo explant cultures as an assay system to test mammalian stem cell migration and differentiation after transplantation

Abstract only availableStem cells are undifferentiated cells capable of achieving multiple developmental fates. The embryonic stem (ES) cell can differentiate into all cells of the body. Our stem cell research focuses on the repair and/or renewal of cells in the central nervous system with potential applications for treatment of such diseases as Parkinson's disease, ALS, Alzhiemers disease, Batten's disease, as well as other neurodegenerative disorders and injuries to the CNS. An important problem is to determine the potential of stem cells to achieve various fates after transplantation. In the present study, we developed the chick embryo explant culture as an assay system to test the ability of mouse embryonic stem cells to migrate and differentiate after transplantation. The focus of this study was to monitor the survival, migration, and incorporation of the mouse ES cells after transplantation into chick embryos and to develop an explant culture method. The explant cultures will enable repeated viewing of transplanted stem cells at various time post-transplantation. Initially to establish chick embryo explants, chicken embryos were excised from the yolk at stage 8 and transferred to agar/albumen culture dishes containing antibiotics. The chick embryos explants were incubated at 37oC in a humidified chamber to continue growth and development, and explants were viewed multiple times. To date, chick embryos survived up to 47 hours after explantation. Successful explants were obtained as determined by normal embryonic development and the presence of a normal heartbeat. For stem cell transplant experiments, green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing mouse ES cells were transplanted into the head region of stage 10 chick embryos while the embryos were still in the egg (i.e., in ovo). Immediately following transplantation, explant cultures were established and embryonic development was allowed to proceed for up to 28 hours (~stage 15-16). The embryos were screened using a fluorescence microscope to test for the presence and fate of transplanted mouse ES cells. Ten micrometers thick transverse sections of the embryos were examined and GFP-expressing cells were found in the lower head region around the neural tube. The transplanted ES cells appeared to contribute to embryonic mesoderm. Future experiments will test whether transplanted stem cells can incorporate into the neural tube and differentiate into neural cells.NSF-REU Biology & Biochemistr

Characterization of degeneration in the retina, brain and spinal cord of the Cln1 knockout mouse

Abstract only availableThe neuronal-ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs; often referred to as Battens Disease) are a group of hereditary disorders of childhood. Symptoms of NCLs are characterized by neurodegeneration with progressive neural cell death in the retina and central nervous system (CNS). The infantile form of NCL results from a deficiency in the protein, palmitoyl protein thioesterase-1 (PPT-1). PPT-1, encoded by the Cln1 gene, removes long chain fatty acids from modified cysteine residues in proteins. Mutations in the Cln1 gene are associated with an accumulation of autofluorescent lysosomal lipopigments in various tissues such as the retina and CNS. In the current study, we use a transgenic mouse model in which the gene for Cln1 has been mutated, i.e., 'knocked out'. Our goal is to perform histological experiments to assess the functional progression of neurodegenerative changes in the retina, brain and spinal cord as the subject ages. The retina, brain and spinal cord of the mice at different ages were fixed and embedded in plastic resin and/or paraffin. Thick sections (1 mm or 10 mm, respectively) were stained with toluidine blue or propidium iodide to detect neuronal loss and/or apoptosis as a result of the PPT-1 deficiency. Fluorescent images of the stained sections were obtained to document changes in tissue structure and the extent of degeneration. These studies provide information that will aid future studies in which stem cell transplants will be made into the Cln1 knockout mouse model. Ultimately, this approach will determine whether combined gene and stem cell therapies can be applied to patients with Battens Disease.Molecular Biology Progra

Factors Influencing Patient Satisfaction with Healthcare: The Patient\u27s Perception

The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify factors that perspective patients perceive as ones that influence their satisfaction with healthcare. A distinctive feature of the study was that it addressed factors that influence satisfaction with healthcare from the patient\u27s perception (emic perspective) rather than the provider\u27s (etic) assumptions

Secondary Wall Regulating NACs Differentially Bind at the Promoter at a CELLULOSE SYNTHASE A4 Cis-eQTL

Arabidopsis thaliana CELLULOSE SYNTHASE A4/7/8 (CESA4/7/8) are three non-redundant subunits of the secondary cell wall cellulose synthase complex. Transcript abundance of these genes can vary among genotypes and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) were identified in a recombinant population of the accessions Bay-0 and Shahdara. Genetic mapping and analysis of the transcript levels of CESAs between two distinct near isogenic lines (NILs) confirmed a change in CESA4 expression that segregates within that interval. We sequenced the promoters and identified 16 polymorphisms differentiating CESA4Sha and CESA4Bay. In order to determine which of these SNPs could be responsible for this eQTL, we screened for transcription factor protein affinity with promoter fragments of CESA4Bay, CESA4Sha, and the reference genome CESA4Col. The wall thickening activator proteins NAC SECONDARY WALL THICKENING PROMOTING FACTOR2 (NST2) and NST3 exhibited a decrease in binding with the CESA4Sha promoter with a tracheary element-regulating cis-element (TERE) polymorphism. While NILs harboring the TERE polymorphisms exhibited significantly different CESA4 expression, cellulose crystallinity and cell wall thickness were indistinguishable. These results suggest that the TERE polymorphism resulted in differential transcription factor binding and CESA4 expression; yet A. thaliana is able to tolerate this transcriptional variability without compromising the structural elements of the plant, providing insight into the elasticity of gene regulation as it pertains to cell wall biosynthesis and regulation. We also explored available DNA affinity purification sequencing data to resolve a core binding site, C(G/T)TNNNNNNNA(A/C)G, for secondary wall NACs referred to as the VNS element

Effectiveness of behavioural interventions with motivational interviewing on physical activity outcomes in adults: systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of behavioural interventions that include motivational interviewing on physical activity outcomes in adults. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Study selection: A search of seven databases for randomised controlled trials published from inception to 1 March 2023 comparing a behavioural intervention including motivational interviewing with a comparator without motivational interviewing on physical activity outcomes in adults. Outcomes of interest were differences in change in quantitative measures of total physical activity, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and sedentary time. Data extraction and synthesis: Two reviewers extracted data and assessed risk of bias. Population characteristics, intervention components, comparison groups, and outcomes of studies were summarised. For overall main effects, random effects meta-analyses were used to report standardised mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Differential effects based on duration of follow-up, comparator type, intervention duration, and disease or health condition of participants were also examined. Results: 129 papers reporting 97 randomised controlled trials totalling 27 811 participants and 105 comparisons were included. Interventions including motivational interviewing were superior to comparators for increases in total physical activity (SMD 0.45, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.65, equivalent to 1323 extra steps/day; low certainty evidence) and MVPA (0.45, 0.19 to 0.71, equivalent to 95 extra min/week; very low certainty evidence) and for reductions in sedentary time (−0.58, −1.03 to −0.14, equivalent to −51 min/day; very low certainty evidence). Evidence for a difference in any outcome compared with comparators of similar intensity was lacking. The magnitude of effect diminished over time, and evidence of an effect of motivational interviewing beyond one year was lacking. Most interventions involved patients with a specific health condition, and evidence of an effect of motivational interviewing to increase MVPA or decrease sedentary time was lacking in general population samples. Conclusions: Certainty of the evidence using motivational interviewing as part of complex behavioural interventions for promoting total physical activity in adults was low, and for MVPA and sedentary time was very low. The totality of evidence suggests that although interventions with motivational interviewing increase physical activity and decrease sedentary behaviour, no difference was found in studies where the effect of motivational interviewing could be isolated. Effectiveness waned over time, with no evidence of a benefit of motivational interviewing to increase physical activity beyond one year. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42020219881

Cannabis dependence in the San Francisco Family Study: Age of onset of use, DSM-IV symptoms, withdrawal, and heritability

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States, yet the role of genetics in individual symptoms associated with cannabis use disorders has not been evaluated. The purpose of the present set of analyses was to describe the symptomatology and estimate the heritability of DSM-IV criteria/symptoms of cannabis dependence in a large sample of families. Participants were 2524 adults, participating in the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Family Study of alcoholism. Seventy percent of the sample had ever used cannabis and 13.9% met DSM-IV criteria for cannabis dependence. Younger age at first cannabis use was found to be significantly associated with a shortened survival to becoming cannabis dependent. Although a greater percentage of men met criteria for cannabis dependence, women were found to demonstrate “telescoping” as indexed by a shorter survival time from initial use to dependence as compared to men. A cannabis withdrawal syndrome was identified in users, the primary symptoms of which were nervousness, appetite change, and sleep disturbance. Cannabis use (h2 = 0.31) and dependence (h2 = 0.20), age at first use, individual DSM-IV criteria for dependence, and cannabis-use associated symptoms of depression, trouble concentrating and paranoia were all found to be heritable. These findings suggest that within this population that cannabis use and dependence, as well as individual cannabis dependence symptoms have a significant heritable component, that cannabis dependence is more likely to occur when use begins during adolescence, and that the cannabis dependence syndrome includes a number of heritable untoward psychiatric side effects including withdrawal

Age at Regular Drinking, Clinical Course, and Heritability of Alcohol Dependence in the San Francisco Family Study: A Gender Analysis

We examined gender differences in age of onset, clinical course, and heritability of alcohol dependence in 2524 adults participating in the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) family study of alcoholism. Men were significantly more likely than women to have initiated regular drinking during adolescence. Onset of regular drinking was not found to be heritable but was found to be significantly associated with a shorter time to onset of alcohol dependence. A high degree of similarity in the sequence of alcohol-related life events was found between men and women, however, men experienced alcohol dependence symptoms at a younger age and women had a more rapid clinical course. Women were found to have a higher heritability estimate for alcohol dependence (h2 =0.46) than men (h2 =0.32). These findings suggest that environmental factors influencing the initiation of regular drinking rather than genetic factors associated with dependence may in part underlie some of the gender differences seen in the prevalence of alcohol dependence in this population