Social problem-solving skills and mental health: a comparison of undergraduate cohorts

Problem Solving Skills is clearly indicated as a graduate attribute at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) and many other Australian Universities. This study was cross-sectional in design and aimed to compare perceived social problem solving skills and mental health variables between undergraduate year levels. Previous research has shown that first year university students are more likely to indicate signs of depression than students‘ in latter years. Research has also found that groups with higher education have indicated more positive problem solving appraisal. Finally, there is considerable research that has linked poorer problem solving appraisal with higher levels of depression and anxiety. An online test battery was administered to 464 undergraduate students from the USQ. The Problem Solving Inventory, Form B (PSI-B; Heppner, 1988) measured perceived problem-solving ability, and is comprised of three subscales; Problem Solving Confidence, Approach Avoidance and Personal Control.The other measure was the shortened version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21;Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) and measured mental health variables (Depression, Anxiety and Stress). Participants were divided into year level (i.e. first, second or third year), and a one way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) indicated no significant difference between the groups on any of the problem solving or mental health variables. Given that the USQ has a large mature age student population, students were re-analysed with one-way ANOVA according to age (under 21, 21-29, 30-39 and 40 and over years). Significant differences were found where the two older groups had a more positive problem appraisal than the two younger groups. The two older groups also indicated less depression and anxiety symptoms than the two younger groups. It is suggested that problem solving therapy programs specifically targeting younger students may be worth considerin

A Study of Leisure Reading of the Summer School Graduating Class at Prairie View College 1935

Reading is a subject of major importance. Educators are more concerned than ever about the reading being done by college students. Studies are being made from the following angles to determine what to read, how to read, when to read, and how much to read. It is an indispensible task for for every educated man or woman to perform. This thesis is a report of a study of reading done by the summer school graduating class on Prairie view College campus, 1935. The chief problem was to analyze reading done by the seniors and to offer incentive to stimulate a desire to do voluntary reading during leisure hours. The purpose of stimulating reading is to enlarge the vocabulary, to enrich the experience and to make full and ready men end women that the world needs most

Transcriptional regulation of FoxO3 gene by glucocorticoids in murine myotubes.

Glucocorticoids and FoxO3 exert similar metabolic effects in skeletal muscle. FoxO3 gene expression was increased by dexamethasone (Dex), a synthetic glucocorticoid, both in vitro and in vivo. In C2C12 myotubes the increased expression is due to, at least in part, the elevated rate of FoxO3 gene transcription. In the mouse FoxO3 gene, we identified three glucocorticoid receptor (GR) binding regions (GBRs): one being upstream of the transcription start site, -17kbGBR; and two in introns, +45kbGBR and +71kbGBR. Together, these three GBRs contain four 15-bp glucocorticoid response elements (GREs). Micrococcal nuclease (MNase) assay revealed that Dex treatment increased the sensitivity to MNase in the GRE of +45kbGBR and +71kbGBR upon 30- and 60-min Dex treatment, respectively. Conversely, Dex treatment did not affect the chromatin structure near the -17kbGBR, in which the GRE is located in the linker region. Dex treatment also increased histone H3 and/or H4 acetylation in genomic regions near all three GBRs. Moreover, using chromatin conformation capture (3C) assay, we showed that Dex treatment increased the interaction between the -17kbGBR and two genomic regions: one located around +500 bp and the other around +73 kb. Finally, the transcriptional coregulator p300 was recruited to all three GBRs upon Dex treatment. The reduction of p300 expression decreased FoxO3 gene expression and Dex-stimulated interaction between distinct genomic regions of FoxO3 gene identified by 3C. Overall, our results demonstrate that glucocorticoids activated FoxO3 gene transcription through multiple GREs by chromatin structural change and DNA looping

FAP-overexpressing fibroblasts produce an extracellular matrix that enhances invasive velocity and directionality of pancreatic cancer cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Alterations towards a permissive stromal microenvironment provide important cues for tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. In this study, Fibroblast activation protein (FAP), a serine protease selectively produced by tumor-associated fibroblasts in over 90% of epithelial tumors, was used as a platform for studying tumor-stromal interactions.</p> <p>We tested the hypothesis that FAP enzymatic activity locally modifies stromal ECM (extracellular matrix) components thus facilitating the formation of a permissive microenvironment promoting tumor invasion in human pancreatic cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We generated a tetracycline-inducible FAP overexpressing fibroblastic cell line to synthesize an <it>in vivo</it>-like 3-dimensional (3D) matrix system which was utilized as a stromal landscape for studying matrix-induced cancer cell behaviors. A FAP-dependent topographical and compositional alteration of the ECM was characterized by measuring the relative orientation angles of fibronectin fibers and by Western blot analyses. The role of FAP in the matrix-induced permissive tumor behavior was assessed in Panc-1 cells in assorted matrices by time-lapse acquisition assays. Also, FAP⁺matrix-induced regulatory molecules in cancer cells were determined by Western blot analyses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We observed that FAP remodels the ECM through modulating protein levels, as well as through increasing levels of fibronectin and collagen fiber organization. FAP-dependent architectural/compositional alterations of the ECM promote tumor invasion along characteristic parallel fiber orientations, as demonstrated by enhanced directionality and velocity of pancreatic cancer cells on FAP⁺matrices. This phenotype can be reversed by inhibition of FAP enzymatic activity during matrix production resulting in the disorganization of the ECM and impeded tumor invasion. We also report that the FAP⁺ matrix-induced tumor invasion phenotype is β₁-integrin/FAK mediated.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Cancer cell invasiveness can be affected by alterations in the tumor microenvironment. Disruption of FAP activity and β₁-integrins may abrogate the invasive capabilities of pancreatic and other tumors by disrupting the FAP-directed organization of stromal ECM and blocking β₁-integrin dependent cell-matrix interactions. This provides a novel preclinical rationale for therapeutics aimed at interfering with the architectural organization of tumor-associated ECM. Better understanding of the stromal influences that fuel progressive tumorigenic behaviors may allow the effective future use of targeted therapeutics aimed at disrupting specific tumor-stromal interactions.</p

Excessive Sensitivity to Uncertain Visual Input in L-DOPA-Induced Dyskinesias in Parkinson’s Disease: Further Implications for Cerebellar Involvement

When faced with visual uncertainty during motor performance, humans rely more on predictive forward models and proprioception and attribute lesser importance to the ambiguous visual feedback. Though disrupted predictive control is typical of patients with cerebellar disease, sensorimotor deficits associated with the involuntary and often unconscious nature of l-DOPA-induced dyskinesias in Parkinson’s disease (PD) suggests dyskinetic subjects may also demonstrate impaired predictive motor control. Methods: We investigated the motor performance of 9 dyskinetic and 10 non-dyskinetic PD subjects on and off l-DOPA, and of 10 age-matched control subjects, during a large-amplitude, overlearned, visually guided tracking task. Ambiguous visual feedback was introduced by adding “jitter” to a moving target that followed a Lissajous pattern. Root mean square (RMS) tracking error was calculated, and ANOVA, robust multivariate linear regression, and linear dynamical system analyses were used to determine the contribution of speed and ambiguity to tracking performance. Results: Increasing target ambiguity and speed contributed significantly more to the RMS error of dyskinetic subjects off medication. l-DOPA improved the RMS tracking performance of both PD groups. At higher speeds, controls and PDs without dyskinesia were able to effectively de-weight ambiguous visual information. Conclusion: PDs’ visually guided motor performance degrades with visual jitter and speed of movement to a greater degree compared to age-matched controls. However, there are fundamental differences in PDs with and without dyskinesia: subjects without dyskinesia are generally slow, and less responsive to dynamic changes in motor task requirements, but in PDs with dyskinesia, there was a trade-off between overall performance and inappropriate reliance on ambiguous visual feedback. This is likely associated with functional changes in posterior parietal–ponto–cerebellar pathways

Efeito da N-acetilcisteína na lesão hepática por isquemia e reperfusão após 30% de hepatectomia em camundongos

PURPOSE: Evaluate the effect of N-acetylcysteine in liver remnant after hepatectomy associated to ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice. METHODS: Male adult BALB/c mice, weighing 20-22g were used. Animals were anesthetized with ketamine (70 mg/kg) and xylazine (10 mg/kg); received N-acetylcysteine (150 mg/kg, H-IR-NAC group) or vehicle (H-IR group). Surgical procedures were performed under 10X magnification. Partial hepatectomy (30%) was followed by ischemia-reperfusion injury (30 minutes of ischemia and 60 minutes of reperfusion). Blood sample and liver tissue were removed before animal was euthanized. AST and ALT were evaluated in blood samples and histomorphological analyses were performed in remnant liver. Groups were compared by Mann-Whitney test, and it was considered significant when p<0.05. RESULTS: Biochemical evaluations showed reduced levels of ALT in NAC group (H-IR-NAC=376±127U/l vs H-IR=636±39U/l, p=0.023). AST was similar (p=0.456). H-IR group showed hepatic tissue with preserved architecture, large area of steatosis, vascular congestion and rare mitogenic activity. NAC group showed hepatic tissue with small area of steatosis, vascular congestion and elevated mitogenic activity, evidenced by increased binuclear cells (H-IR-NAC=15.88±0.52 vs H-IR=7.4±0.37, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: N-acetylcysteine promotes enzymatic and morphological protection against hepatectomy and ischemia-reperfusion injury.OBJETIVO: Investigar se a N-acetilcisteína promove proteção do remanescente hepático após ressecção associada à isquemia e reperfusão do fígado em camundongos. MÉTODOS: Foram utilizados 12 camundongos BALB/c, machos, pesando entre 20-22g. Os animais foram anestesiados com quetamina (70mg/kg) e xilazina (10mg/kg); receberam a N-acetilcisteína (150mg/kg, grupo H-IR-NAC) ou controle (grupo H-IR). Os procedimentos cirúrgicos ocorreram na magnificação de 10X. A lesão por isquemia e reperfusão (30 minutos de isquemia e 60 minutos de reperfusão) foi precedida pela hepatectomia de 30%. Foram utilizados como parâmetro de avaliação: a bioquímica sangüínea (AST e ALT) e a histologia do fígado (coloração de hematoxilina-eosina). Para avaliação estatística empregou-se o teste de Mann-Whitney e o nível de significância foi 5%. RESULTADOS: Na avaliação bioquímica houve redução no nível de ALT no grupo tratado (H-IR-NAC=376±127 U/l vs H-IR=636±39 U/l, p=0,023). AST foi similar (p=0,456). Na histologia, o grupo H-IR apresentou um tecido hepático com arquitetura preservada, com grandes áreas de infiltração gordurosa, presença de congestão vascular e de alguma atividade mitótica; o grupo com a N-acetilcisteína apresentou menor infiltração gordurosa e congestão vascular, maior atividade mitótica, evidenciada pela quantidade elevada de células binucleadas (H-IR-NAC=15,88±0,52 vs H-IR=7,4±0,37, p<0,001). CONCLUSÃO: A N-acetilcisteína promove proteção ao fígado, do ponto de vista morfológico e enzimático, após hepatectomia associada à isquemia e reperfusão.UNIFESP Division of Operative Technique and Experimental Surgery Department of SurgeryUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Department of SurgeryUNIFESP Division of Histology Department of MorphologySão Paulo University Faculty of Medicine Surgical PhysiopathologyUNIFESP, Division of Operative Technique and Experimental Surgery Department of SurgeryUNIFESP, Department of SurgeryUNIFESP, Division of Histology Department of MorphologySciEL

Is More Better? Preliminary Results from a Computer Treatment Study for Aphasia

This randomized clinical trial evaluated the efficacy of an oral reading treatment provided via computer, and compared outcomes for 10-hours versus 4-hours of weekly practice. An intent-to-treat analysis showed subjects receiving 6-weeks of computer treatment improved significantly more on the Aphasia Quotient of the Western Aphasia Battery than subjects receiving no treatment. 10-hours of weekly practice resulted in a mean WAB AQ change of 6.76 (SD=7.63) compared to a mean change of 3.92 (SD=6.22) in the 4-hour group. However, after 24 treatment hours, language improvements were greater when practice was less intensive. Implications for clinical treatment and research are discussed

Mediator Subunits MED16, MED14, and MED2 Are Required for Activation of ABRE-Dependent Transcription in Arabidopsis

The Mediator complex controls transcription of most eukaryotic genes with individual subunits required for the control of particular gene regulons in response to various perturbations. In this study, we reveal the roles of the plant Mediator subunits MED16, MED14, and MED2 in regulating transcription in response to the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) and we determine which cis elements are under their control. Using synthetic promoter reporters we established an effective system for testing relationships between subunits and specific cis-acting motifs in protoplasts. Our results demonstrate that MED16, MED14, and MED2 are required for the full transcriptional activation by ABA of promoters containing both the ABRE (ABA-responsive element) and DRE (drought-responsive element). Using synthetic promoter motif concatamers, we showed that ABA-responsive activation of the ABRE but not the DRE motif was dependent on these three Mediator subunits. Furthermore, the three subunits were required for the control of water loss from leaves but played no role in ABA-dependent growth inhibition, highlighting specificity in their functions. Our results identify new roles for three Mediator subunits, provide a direct demonstration of their function and highlight that our experimental approach can be utilized to identify the function of subunits of plant transcriptional regulators

Application of Modified Shell Vial Culture Procedure for Arbovirus Detection

The isolation of arboviruses from patient's low titer sera can be difficult. Here we compared the detection efficiency of Dengue (DEN), Yellow Fever (YF), Saint Louis Encephalitis (SLE), West Nile (WN), Ilheus (ILH), Group C (GC), Oropouche (ORO), Mayaro (MAY) and Venezuela Encephalitis Equine (VEE) viruses using a Modified Shell Vial Culture (MSVC) protocol to a Standard Cell Culture (SCC) protocol. First the MSVC and SCC protocols were compared using five dilutions for each of the following stock viruses: DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, DEN-4, YF, SLE, WN, ILH, GC, ORO, MAY and VEE. Next, patients' original sera from which viruses (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, YF, GC, ORO, MAY and VEE) had been previously isolated were compare by the two methods using five sera dilutions. In addition, seven sera that were positive for DEN-3 by RT-PCR and negative by SCC were processed by MSVC. The MSVC protocol was consistently 1-2 logs higher virus dilution more sensitive for virus detection than the SCC protocol for all stock Flaviviruses tested (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, DEN-4, YF, SLE, WN and ILH). MSVC was equal to or one log more sensitive for virus detection than SCC for the stock Bunyaviruses (GC and ORO). For the stock Alphavirus MAY, MSVC was equally or one log more sensitive for virus detection than SCC, while for VEE SCC was equally or one log more sensitive for virus detection than MSVC. MSVC was consistently one to two sera dilutions more sensitive than SCC for the detection of Flaviviruses from patients' sera. Both methods were approximately equally sensitive for the detection of Bunyaviruses from patients' sera and equal or one dilution less sensitive for the detection of Alphaviruses from patients' sera. Additionally, MSVC detected DEN virus in five of seven DEN-3 RT-PCR positive, SCC negative patients' sera

Genome wide meta-analysis identifies genomic relationships, novel loci, and pleiotropic mechanisms across eight psychiatric disorders

Genetic influences on psychiatric disorders transcend diagnostic boundaries, suggesting substantial pleiotropy of contributing loci. However, the nature and mechanisms of these pleiotropic effects remain unclear. We performed a meta-analysis of 232,964 cases and 494,162 controls from genome-wide studies of anorexia nervosa, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and Tourette syndrome. Genetic correlation analyses revealed a meaningful structure within the eight disorders identifying three groups of inter-related disorders. We detected 109 loci associated with at least two psychiatric disorders, including 23 loci with pleiotropic effects on four or more disorders and 11 loci with antagonistic effects on multiple disorders. The pleiotropic loci are located within genes that show heightened expression in the brain throughout the lifespan, beginning in the second trimester prenatally, and play prominent roles in a suite of neurodevelopmental processes. These findings have important implications for psychiatric nosology, drug development, and risk prediction