The Changes in Major Diagnoses from DSM IV-TR to DSM 5: How to Talk to Clients About Changes in Their Diagnosis

Outline and present the changes in diagnostic criteria and diagnoses between the DSM IV-TR and the DSM 5. Discuss how to talk to and work with clients if their diagnosis has changed or been removed. Upon early research, it appears that there is little literature that focuses on how staff can talk to clients about diagnosis changes or elimination. Learn more about changes and talking to clients Present this information to staff so they have an awareness of this when the changes are made in October of 2015 and the DSM 5 is to be fully implemented

Factor Structure of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI): Findings From a Large Incarcerated Sample

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI; S. O. Lilienfeld, 1990; S. O. Lilienfeld & B. P. Andrews, 1996) with a community sample has suggested that the PPI subscales may comprise 2 higher order factors (S. D. Benning, C. J. Patrick, B. M. Hicks, D. M. Blonigen, & R. F. Krueger, 2003). However, substantive and structural evidence raises concerns about the viability of this 2-factor model, particularly in offender populations. The authors attempted to replicate the S. D. Benning et al. 2-factor solution using a large (N= 1,224) incarcerated male sample. Confirmatory factor analysis of this model resulted in poor model fit. Similarly, using the same EFA procedures as did S. D. Benning et al., the authors found little evidence for a 2-factor model. When they followed the recommendations of J.-W. van Prooijen and W. A. van der Kloot (2001) for recovering EFA solutions, model fit results provided some evidence that a 3-factor EFA solution could be recovered via confirmatory factor analysis

Identifikation zellulärer Ziel-Gene KSHV-kodierter miRNAs

Herpesviren exprimieren Micro-(mi)RNAs, welche die Expression von zellulären und viralen Genen beeinflussen. Das Genom des Kaposi Sarkom Assoziierten Herpesvirus (KSHV) kodiert ein Cluster von insgesamt 12 miRNAs, welche sowohl während der latenten, als auch während der lytischen Infektion exprimiert werden. Da bisher nur sehr wenige zelluläre Zielgene für KSHV miRNAs bekannt sind, war es das Ziel dieser Studie, Gene zu identifizieren, deren Expression durch virale miRNAs von KSHV beeinflusst wird. Zu diesem Zweck wurden KSHV miRNAs mit Hilfe eines lentiviralen Transduktionssystems in B-Zellen und in Endothelzellen exprimiert. Diese sind beide natürliche Wirtszellen für KSHV. Die dabei entstandenen Zelllinien wurden mit Hilfe von zwei unterschiedlichen experimentellen Ansätzen untersucht: Beim ersten Ansatz wurde das gesamte Expressionsprofil dieser Zellen mit Hilfe von Microarrays analysiert und, nach Filterung durch bioinformatische Methoden, wurden Kandidaten für eine Regulation durch virale miRNAs identifiziert. Das Ergebnis wurde anhand biochemischer Methoden validiert und zwei zelluläre Transkripte als Zielgene bestätigt. In funktionellen Analysen konnte gezeigt werden, dass KSHV miRNAs die Caspase 3 inhibieren und dadurch die Zellen vor Apoptose schützen. Im zweiten, weitaus effizienteren Ansatz, wurden die sogenannten RISC-Komplexe mit Hilfe von AGO2-spezifischen Antikörpern sowohl aus den KSHV miRNA exprimierenden Zellen als auch aus latent KSHV infizierten Zellen isoliert und die daran gebundenen mRNAs identifiziert. Der RISC-Komplex spielt die entscheidende Rolle bei der miRNA-induzierten Regulation und enthält neben Proteinkomponenten (u.a. Argonauten (AGO)-Proteinen) sowohl die aktiven miRNAs als auch die regulierten mRNAs. Nach Isolierung der gebundenen RNAs konnten mit dieser Methode 72 Gene als Zielgene für KSHV miRNAs identifiziert werden. Viele davon spielen eine wichtige Rolle in unterschiedlichen Prozessen wie Zellzykluskontrolle, in der Apoptose oder der mRNA-Prozessierung. Insgesamt 11 identifizierte Zielgene wurden mit Hilfe von real-time PCRs untersucht und 10 bestätigt. Mittels 3’UTR-Luciferase-Assays wurden 6 davon weiter analysiert und bestätigt. Für die Gene LRRC8D, NHP2L1 und GEMIN8 konnten die zuständigen KSHV miRNAs und die dazugehörigen Bindungsstellen auf dem Transkript identifiziert werden. Bei den letzteren beiden lagen diese interessanterweise nicht wie erwartet in der 3’UTR, sondern in dem kodierenden Bereich

Widespread context dependency of microRNA-mediated regulation

Gene expression is regulated in a context-dependent, cell-type specific manner. Condition-specific transcription is dependent on the presence of transcription factors (TFs) that can activate or inhibit its target genes (global context). Additional factors such as chromatin structure, histone or DNA modifications also influence the activity of individual target genes (individual context). The role of the global and individual context for post-transcriptional regulation has not systematically been investigated on a large-scale and is poorly understood. Here we show that global and individual context-dependency is a pervasive feature of microRNA-mediated regulation. Our comprehensive and highly consistent dataset from several high-throughput technologies (PAR-CLIP, RIP-Chip, 4sU-tagging and SILAC) provides strong evidence that context-dependent microRNA target sites (CDTS) are as frequent and functionally relevant as constitutive target sites (CTS). Furthermore, we found the global context to be insufficient to explain the CDTS and that flanking sequence motifs provide individual context that is an equally important factor. Our results demonstrate that, similar to TF-mediated regulation, global and individual context-dependency are prevalent in microRNA-mediated gene regulation implying a much more complex post-transcriptional regulatory network than currently known. The necessary tools to unravel post-transcriptional regulations and mechanisms need to be much more involved and much more data will be needed for particular cell types and cellular conditions to understand microRNA-mediated regulation and the context-dependent post-transcriptional regulatory network

Optimal fire management for maintaining community diversity

Disturbance events strongly influence the dynamics of plant and animal populations within nature reserves. Although many models predict the patterns of succession following a disturbance event, it is often unclear how these models can be used to help make management decisions about disturbances. In this paper we consider the problem of managing fire in Ngarkat Conservation park (CP), South Australia, Australia. We present a methematical model of community succession following a fire disturbance event. Ngarkat CP is a key habitat for several nationally rare and threatened species of birds, and because these species prefer different successional communities, we assume that the primary management objective is to maintain community diversity within the park. More specifically, the aim of management is to keep at least a certain fraction of the park, (e.g. 20%) in each of three successional stages. We assume that each year a manager may do one of the following: let wildfires burn unhindered, fight wildfires, or perform controlled burns. We apply stochastic dynamic programming to identify which of these three strategies is optimal, i.e. the one most likely to promote community diversity. Model results indicate that the optimal management strategy depends on the current state of the park, the cost associated with each strategy, and the time frame over which the manager has set his/her goal

The Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM): alternative to the PCL-R?

Psychopathic personality disorder is the subject of many research papers and in particular in the context of forensic settings, where its link to risk of future violence has been established. This topic is well examined but there is still considerable debate about the nature of the construct and how psychopathy is measured. Contemporary models such as the triarchic theory (Patrick, Fowles & Krueger, 2009) have been put forward yet the research into psychopathy tends to rely on one assessment tool, the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 2003) that is argued not to capture elements of psychopathy such as boldness. The Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM; Patrick, 2010) is a measure that is based on the triarchic theory, and it places an equal focus on boldness when measuring psychopathy. It is however a self-report instrument, and this approach has many limitations. This paper aims to review the scientific support for the TriPM and to discuss its potential application to clinical practice. It concludes that the TriPM may not yet be a contender for the PCL-R throne as the sole tool of choice for psychopathy measurement, but the research into the application of the TriPM is expanding our understanding of psychopathy as a construct

“Trait EI in the relationship between needs fulfilment and symptoms and attitudes associated with EDs”

Eating disorders (EDs) are a set of pathologies, which have been increasing in prevalence in the recent years, suggesting the importance of studying symptoms and attitudes associated with EDs in depth. Several studies have showed that both psychological basic needs and trait emotion intelligence (trait EI) are relevant aspects of EDs, however these two aspects were never tested concurrently. Previous studies have shown that self-determined motivation could be a plausible antecedent that may account for individual variation in trait EI, and for this reason, it seems to be extremely relevant to integrate trait EI in a Self-Determination Theory (SDT) framework. The aim of this study is to test a mediation model of trait EI in the relationship between need fulfilment and eating disorders. In a sample of 159 females aged between 16 and 22 years old (M = 18.71; SD = 1.98) instruments were administered to measure the basic psychological needs, trait EI, and eating disorders. Results of this study showed that need fulfilment was negatively related to eating disorders and positively related to trait EI, whereas trait EI was negatively related to eating disorders. Furthermore, trait EI has shown a mediation role in the relation between basic psychological needs and eating disorders

“Trait EI in the relationship between needs fulfilment and symptoms and attitudes associated with EDs”

Eating disorders (EDs) are a set of pathologies, which have been increasing in prevalence in the recent years, suggesting the importance of studying symptoms and attitudes associated with EDs in depth. Several studies have showed that both psychological basic needs and trait emotion intelligence (trait EI) are relevant aspects of EDs, however these two aspects were never tested concurrently. Previous studies have shown that self-determined motivation could be a plausible antecedent that may account for individual variation in trait EI, and for this reason, it seems to be extremely relevant to integrate trait EI in a Self-Determination Theory (SDT) framework. The aim of this study is to test a mediation model of trait EI in the relationship between need fulfilment and eating disorders. In a sample of 159 females aged between 16 and 22 years old (M = 18.71; SD = 1.98) instruments were administered to measure the basic psychological needs, trait EI, and eating disorders. Results of this study showed that need fulfilment was negatively related to eating disorders and positively related to trait EI, whereas trait EI was negatively related to eating disorders. Furthermore, trait EI has shown a mediation role in the relation between basic psychological needs and eating disorders