Affective Influences without Approach-Avoidance Actions: On the Congruence Between Valence and Stimulus-Response Mappings

The valence of stimuli can influence performance in the spatial stimulus–response compatibility task, but this observation could arise from the process of selecting responses or selecting stimulus–response mappings. The response-selection account proposes that spatial compatible and incompatible keypress responses serve as approaching and avoiding actions to a valenced target. The mapping-selection account suggests that there is congruence between stimulus valence and stimulus–response mappings; positive-compatible/negative-incompatible is more congruent than negative-compatible/positive-incompatible. Whereas affective valence was part of the target stimuli to which participants responded in previous studies, the present study isolated affective valence from the target by presenting an additional mapping cue separately from the target, so that spatially compatible and incompatible keypress responses could no longer serve as approaching and avoiding actions to valenced target stimuli. The present results revealed that responses were still faster when positive and negative mapping cues were assigned to the spatially compatible and incompatible mappings than when the assignment was reversed. The finding supports the mapping-selection account, indicating that positive and negative cues influence performance without approach–avoidance actions to valenced stimuli. The experiment provides important implications as to how tasks are represented and are dependent on affective processing

Choledochal cyst as a diagnostic pitfall: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Choledochal cysts are rare congenital anomalies. Their diagnosis is difficult, particulary in adults.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>This case report demonstrates the diagnostic and therapeutic pitfalls.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>To prevent cost-intensive and potentially life-threating complications, a choledochal cyst must be considered in the differential diagnosis whenever the rather common diagnosis of a hepatic cyst is considered.</p

Overfeeding, Autonomic Regulation and Metabolic Consequences

The autonomic nervous system plays an important role in the regulation of body processes in health and disease. Overfeeding and obesity (a disproportional increase of the fat mass of the body) are often accompanied by alterations in both sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic functions. The overfeeding-induced changes in autonomic outflow occur with typical symptoms such as adiposity and hyperinsulinemia. There might be a causal relationship between autonomic disturbances and the consequences of overfeeding and obesity. Therefore studies were designed to investigate autonomic functioning in experimentally and genetically hyperphagic rats. Special emphasis was given to the processes that are involved in the regulation of peripheral energy substrate homeostasis. The data revealed that overfeeding is accompanied by increased parasympathetic outflow. Typical indices of vagal activity (such as the cephalic insulin release during food ingestion) were increased in all our rat models for hyperphagia. Overfeeding was also accompanied by increased sympathetic tone, reflected by enhanced baseline plasma norepinephrine (NE) levels in both VMH-lesioned animals and rats rendered obese by hyperalimentation. Plasma levels of NE during exercise were, however, reduced in these two groups of animals. This diminished increase in the exercise-induced NE outflow could be normalized by prior food deprivation. It was concluded from these experiments that overfeeding is associated with increased parasympathetic and sympathetic tone. In models for hyperphagia that display a continuously elevated nutrient intake such as the VMH-lesioned and the overfed rat, this increased sympathetic tone was accompanied by a diminished NE response to exercise. This attenuated outflow of NE was directly related to the size of the fat reserves, indicating that the feedback mechanism from the periphery to the central nervous system is altered in the overfed state.

Stochastic Gravity: Theory and Applications

Whereas semiclassical gravity is based on the semiclassical Einstein equation with sources given by the expectation value of the stress-energy tensor of quantum fields, stochastic semiclassical gravity is based on the Einstein-Langevin equation, which has in addition sources due to the noise kernel.In the first part, we describe the fundamentals of this new theory via two approaches: the axiomatic and the functional. In the second part, we describe three applications of stochastic gravity theory. First, we consider metric perturbations in a Minkowski spacetime: we compute the two-point correlation functions for the linearized Einstein tensor and for the metric perturbations. Second, we discuss structure formation from the stochastic gravity viewpoint. Third, we discuss the backreaction of Hawking radiation in the gravitational background of a quasi-static black hole.Comment: 75 pages, no figures, submitted to Living Reviews in Relativit

Expression of nm23-H1 gene product in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and its association with vessel invasion and survival

BACKGROUND: We assessed the nm23-H1 gene product expression and its relationship with lymphatic and blood vessel invasion in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. METHODS: Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 45 patients who were treated surgically were used in this study. Pathologists graded lymphatic and blood vessel invasion in each of the tissue samples. Expression of nm23-Hl gene product was determined using a specific monoclonal antibody. RESULTS: Expression of nm23-H1 gene product was present in 17 (37.8%) cases. We found an inverse correlation between nm23-H1 gene product expression and lymphatic vessel invasion, whereas no correlation between nm23-H1 gene product expression and blood vessel invasion. Overall survival rate was not different between nm23-H1 gene product positive and negative patients (p = 0.21). However, reduced expression of nm23-H1 gene product was associated with shorter overall survival in patients with involved lymph nodes (p < 0.05), but not in patients without involved lymph nodes (p = 0.87). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, there appears to be an inverse relationship between nm23-H1 gene product expression and lymphatic vessel invasion. Furthermore, nm23-H1 gene product expression might be a prognostic marker in patients with involved lymph nodes. Our data does not demonstrate any correlation between nm23-H1 gene product expression and blood vessel invasion

Stochastic Gravity: Theory and Applications

Whereas semiclassical gravity is based on the semiclassical Einstein equation with sources given by the expectation value of the stress-energy tensor of quantum fields, stochastic semiclassical gravity is based on the Einstein-Langevin equation, which has in addition sources due to the noise kernel. In the first part, we describe the fundamentals of this new theory via two approaches: the axiomatic and the functional. In the second part, we describe three applications of stochastic gravity theory. First, we consider metric perturbations in a Minkowski spacetime, compute the two-point correlation functions of these perturbations and prove that Minkowski spacetime is a stable solution of semiclassical gravity. Second, we discuss structure formation from the stochastic gravity viewpoint. Third, we discuss the backreaction of Hawking radiation in the gravitational background of a black hole and describe the metric fluctuations near the event horizon of an evaporating black holeComment: 100 pages, no figures; an update of the 2003 review in Living Reviews in Relativity gr-qc/0307032 ; it includes new sections on the Validity of Semiclassical Gravity, the Stability of Minkowski Spacetime, and the Metric Fluctuations of an Evaporating Black Hol

Decreased blood antioxidant capacity and increased lipid peroxidation in young cigarette smokers compared to nonsmokers: Impact of dietary intake

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Blood of cigarette smokers routinely displays decreased antioxidant capacity and increased oxidized lipids compared to nonsmokers. This is thought to be due to both chronic exposure to cigarette smoke in addition to low intake of dietary antioxidants, and is a routine finding in veteran smokers. No study to date has determined the independent and combined impact of dietary intake and cigarette smoking on blood antioxidant capacity and oxidative stress in a sample of young, novice smokers.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We compared resting plasma antioxidant reducing capacity (ARC; expressed in uric acid equivalents), serum trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), whole blood total glutathione, plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), and plasma oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) between 15 young (24 ± 4 years), novice smokers (pack-year history: 3 ± 2) and 13 nonsmokers of similar age (24 ± 5 years). Detailed dietary records were maintained during a seven-day period for analysis of total energy, macro- and micronutrient intake.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>ARC (0.0676 ± 0.0352 vs. 0.1257 ± 0.0542 mmol·L^-1; mean ± SD, p = 0.019), TEAC (0.721 ± 0.120 vs. 0.765 ± 0.130 mmol·L^-1, p = 0.24) and glutathione (835 ± 143 vs. 898 ± 168 μmol·L^-1, p = 0.28) were lower in smokers compared to nonsmokers, with only the former being statistically significant. MDA (0.919 ± 0.32 vs. 0.647 ± 0.16 μmol·L^-1, p = 0.05) and oxLDL were both higher in smokers compared to nonsmokers (229 ± 94 vs. 110 ± 62 ng·mL^-1, p = 0.12), although only the MDA comparison was of statistical significance. Interestingly, these findings existed despite no differences in dietary intake, including antioxidant micronutrient consumption, between both smokers and nonsmokers.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data, with specificity to young, novice cigarette smokers, underscore the importance of smoking abstinence. Future studies with larger sample sizes, inclusive of smokers of different ages and smoking histories, are needed to extend these findings.</p

The predictive value of p53, p53R2, and p21 for the effect of chemoradiation therapy on oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma

The p53 family regulates cell-cycle arrest, triggers apoptosis or is involved in repair of DNA damage. In the present study, we analysed the expression of some p53 family proteins and their responses to chemoradiation therapy (CRT) in cases of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We immunohistochemically investigated the relationship between p53, p53R2, and p21 expression in biopsy specimens of untreated primary tumours and their clinical and histological responses to CRT in 62 patients with ESCC. Chemoradiation therapy consisted of 5-fluorouracil plus cisplatin and 40 Gy of radiation. The rates of clinical and histological responses (complete or partial) to CRT were 71.0% (clinical) and 52.8% (histological). The rate of positive expression was 43.5% for p53, 37.1% for p53R2, and 54.8% for p21 expression. Statistically significant correlations were found between p53 or p53R2 expression and favourable response to CRT (P=0.0001 or 0.041 clinical, P=0.016 or 0.0018 histological, respectively). Furthermore, in p53-negative tumours, CRT was more effective in tumours with p53R2 negative expression than those with p53R2 positive expression (P=0.0014). We demonstrated that the negative expression of p53 and p53R2 expression was closely related to the effect of CRT and should predict the CRT outcome in patients with ESCC

Juggling to find balance: hearing the voices of undergraduate student nurses.

BACKGROUND: Accounts of stress are common among students on nursing programmes. Prolonged high levels of stress can contribute to poor learning, the development of detrimental health behaviours, attrition and burnout. AIMS: To examine the health and wellbeing implications of undertaking a BSc nursing degree in the UK for first-year students. METHODS: Qualitative narrative analysis of 100 written student reflections on the influences on their health and wellbeing was undertaken. FINDINGS: Nursing students must juggle multiple competing demands on their physical capabilities, personal resources, income and time. Students are constantly seeking to achieve balance and personal equilibrium through the use of a variety of coping strategies. CONCLUSION: This work calls upon the profession, the nursing regulator, nursing programmes within higher education institutions and health Trusts to review the framework and content of undergraduate BSc nurse education. Programme requirements should enhance the health and wellbeing of students while simultaneously delivering education and practice opportunities necessary to meet professional requirements

Bub1 Is a Fission Yeast Kinetochore Scaffold Protein, and Is Sufficient to Recruit other Spindle Checkpoint Proteins to Ectopic Sites on Chromosomes

The spindle checkpoint delays anaphase onset until all chromosomes have attached in a bi-polar manner to the mitotic spindle. Mad and Bub proteins are recruited to unattached kinetochores, and generate diffusible anaphase inhibitors. Checkpoint models propose that Mad1 and Bub1 act as stable kinetochore-bound scaffolds, to enhance recruitment of Mad2 and Mad3/BubR1, but this remains untested for Bub1. Here, fission yeast FRAP experiments confirm that Bub1 stably binds kinetochores, and by tethering Bub1 to telomeres we demonstrate that it is sufficient to recruit anaphase inhibitors in a kinase-independent manner. We propose that the major checkpoint role for Bub1 is as a signalling scaffold