A randomised controlled trial of mentalization-based treatment versus structured clinical management for patients with comorbid borderline personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder.

BACKGROUND: Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is an under-researched mental disorder. Systematic reviews and policy documents identify ASPD as a priority area for further treatment research because of the scarcity of available evidence to guide clinicians and policymakers; no intervention has been established as the treatment of choice for this disorder. Mentalization-based treatment (MBT) is a psychotherapeutic treatment which specifically targets the ability to recognise and understand the mental states of oneself and others, an ability shown to be compromised in people with ASPD. The aim of the study discussed in this paper is to investigate whether MBT can be an effective treatment for alleviating symptoms of ASPD. METHODS: This paper reports on a sub-sample of patients from a randomised controlled trial of individuals recruited for treatment of suicidality, self-harm, and borderline personality disorder. The study investigates whether outpatients with comorbid borderline personality disorder and ASPD receiving MBT were more likely to show improvements in symptoms related to aggression than those offered a structured protocol of similar intensity but excluding MBT components. RESULTS: The study found benefits from MBT for ASPD-associated behaviours in patients with comorbid BPD and ASPD, including the reduction of anger, hostility, paranoia, and frequency of self-harm and suicide attempts, as well as the improvement of negative mood, general psychiatric symptoms, interpersonal problems, and social adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: MBT appears to be a potential treatment of consideration for ASPD in terms of relatively high level of acceptability and promising treatment effects. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN ISRCTN27660668 , Retrospectively registered 21 October 2008

Activation of stem cells in hepatic diseases

The liver has enormous regenerative capacity. Following acute liver injury, hepatocyte division regenerates the parenchyma but, if this capacity is overwhelmed during massive or chronic liver injury, the intrinsic hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) termed oval cells are activated. These HPCs are bipotential and can regenerate both biliary epithelia and hepatocytes. Multiple signalling pathways contribute to the complex mechanism controlling the behaviour of the HPCs. These signals are delivered primarily by the surrounding microenvironment. During liver disease, stem cells extrinsic to the liver are activated and bone-marrow-derived cells play a role in the generation of fibrosis during liver injury and its resolution. Here, we review our current understanding of the role of stem cells during liver disease and their mechanisms of activation

Comparison of screening tools for the detection of neurocognitive impairment in HAART-treated patients

Background: Neurocognitive impairment (NCI) and HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) remain prevalent despite HAART. We examined sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and correct classification rate (CCR) of screening tools for the detection of NCI and HAND in HAART treated patients. Methods: We examined 101 unselected HAART-treated patients. Patients were administered the self-reported three questions (EACS Guidelines), the International HIV-Dementia Scale (IHDS), the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), and a comprehensive 6-domain (17-test) neuropsychological (NP) battery (120 minutes) that included, among others, the Digit Symbol (DS), the Trail Making Modalities (TM), and the Grooved Pegboard (GP) tests. NCI was defined according to the AAN criteria. HAND was diagnosed after exclusion of confounding conditions. Results: Our cohort was relatively healthy (mean CD4 count: 575 cells/mm3, undetectable plasma HIV RNA 85%). Prevalence of NCI and HAND were 39.6% (40 of 101) and 30.7% (31 of 101), respectively. Mean scores of IHDS (9.9 vs 10.8; p<0.001) and MMSE (26.8 vs 28.2; p=0.004) differed significantly between impaired and unimpaired patients, while mean three-questions scores (8.0 vs 7.0; p=0.23) did not. The three questions showed also poor sensitivity for the detection of both NCI (20%) and HAND (22%). The IHDS showed fairly good sensitivity (55%) and NPV (73.5%). Adding to the IHDS some easy to administer NP tests, i.e. TM, DS, and GP, resulted in an increase in sensitivity and NPV for the detection of NCI (table). Similar results were obtained regarding the detection of HAND (not shown in table). Conclusions: Both NCI and HAND are still very prevalent in HAART-treated patients. Among screening tools the self-reported three question show poor sensitivity. The IHDS performed better in terms of sensitivity, PPV, and NPV. Combinations of easy-to-administer NP tests with the IHDS resulted in increased sensitivity and NPV. Combining IHDS with one or two simple NP test may represent an improvement in the screening approach to the detection of both NCI and HAND

Can anthocyanin presence ameliorate the photosynthetic performance of Prunus saplings subjected to polyethylene glycol-simulated water stress?

The aim was the evaluation of the biochemical and physiological responses of green- (GP) and red-leafed (RP) Prunus cerasifera mature leaves to 20 d of polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000)-induced water stress in order to elucidate a possible ameliorative role exerted by anthocyanins. At 10 d, the anthocyanin content remained unchanged in RP water-stressed leaves. Photosynthetic rate was lower in GP than that of RP (83.4 vs. 76.5%, respectively), paralleled by a higher degree of photoinhibition (Fv/Fm) in GP leaves. Leaves of GP accounted for higher content of soluble sugars at 10 d, when RP only showed a slight sucrose increase. At 20 d of stress, both morphs recovered their Fv/Fm values, suggesting the ability of both genotypes to adjust their photosynthetic metabolism under conditions of water stress. In conclusion, besides the sunscreen role served by anthocyanins, the carbon sink by these flavonoids might have further prevented sugar accumulation and the consequent sugar-promoted feedback regulation of photosynthesis in drought-stressed red leaves

Gravitational ultrarelativistic spin-orbit interaction and the weak equivalence principle

It is shown that the gravitational ultrarelativistic spin-orbit interaction violates the weak equivalence principle in the traditional sense. This fact is a direct consequence of the Mathisson-Papapetrou equations in the frame of reference comoving with a spinning test particle. The widely held assumption that the deviation of a spinning test body from a geodesic trajectory is caused by tidal forces is not correctComment: 12 page

Creedy, Jean Iris

The final stage of leaf ontogenesis is represented by senescence, a highly regulated process driven by a sequential cellular breakdown involving, as the first step, chloroplast dismantling with consequent reduction of photosynthetic efficiency. Different processes, such as pigment accumulation, could protect the vulnerable photosynthetic apparatus of senescent leaves. Although several studies have produced transcriptomic data on foliar senescence, just few works have attempted to explain differences in red and green leaves throughout ontogenesis. In this work, a transcriptomic approach was used on green and red leaves of Prunus cerasifera to unveil molecular differences from leaf maturity to senescence. Our analysis revealed a higher gene regulation in red leaves compared to green ones, during leaf transition. Most of the observed DEGs were shared and involved in transcription factor activities, senescing processes and cell wall remodelling. Significant differences were detected in cellular functions: genes related to photosystem I and II were highly down-regulated in the green genotype, whereas transcripts involved in flavonoid biosynthesis, such as UDP glucose-flavonoid-3-O-glucosyltransferase (UFGT) were exclusively up-regulated in red leaves. In addition, cellular functions involved in stress response (glutathione-S-transferase, Pathogen-Related) and sugar metabolism, such as three threalose-6-phosphate synthases, were activated in senescent red leaves. In conclusion, data suggests that P. cerasifera red genotypes can regulate a set of genes and molecular mechanisms that cope with senescence, promoting more advantages during leaf ontogenesis than compared to the green ones

High Electron Mobility in AlGaN/GaN Heterostructures Grown on Bulk GaN Substrates

Dislocation-free high-quality AlGaN/GaN heterostructures have been grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on semi-insulating bulk GaN substrates. Hall measurements performed in the 300 K–50 mK range show a low-temperature electron mobility exceeding 60 000 cm2/V s for an electron sheet density of 2.4×1012 cm−2. Magnetotransport experiments performed up to 15 T exhibit well-defined quantum Hall-effect features. The structures corresponding to the cyclotron and spin splitting were clearly resolved. From an analysis of the Shubnikov de Hass oscillations and the low-temperature mobility we found the quantum and transport scattering times to be 0.4 and 8.2 ps, respectively. The high ratio of the scattering to quantum relaxation time indicates that the main scattering mechanisms, at low temperatures, are due to long-range potentials, such as Coulomb potentials of ionized impurities

Photosynthetic traits and biochemical responses in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa duch.) leaves supplemented with led lights

Selected light wavebands promote plant development and/or the biosynthesis of targeted metabolites. This work offers new insights on the effects of red (R), green (G), blue (B), and white (W – R:G:B; 1:1:1) LED light supplementation on physiochemical traits of strawberry leaves. Gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, photosynthetic pigments, and superoxide anion (•O2–) content were analysed in plants grown for 1 (T1) and 17 (T17) d with light supplementations. At T1, light supplementations resulted in the enhancement of the de-epoxidation state of xanthophylls and nonphotochemical quenching, but no changes were observed in maximal photosynthetic rate (PNmax), irrespective of light spectra. At T17, xanthophyll contents remained higher only in R-supplemented plants. Overall, W light resulted in higher photosynthesis, whilst R and B light depressed PNmax values and promoted•O2 – formation at T17. G light did not induce variations in photosynthetic traits nor induced oxidative stress at both T1 and T17

Glucose metabolism enzymes gene expression analysis and selective metabolic advantage in the clinical progression of colorectal cancer (CRC)

No abstract availabl