Psychodynamic therapy of depression

In this journal, Malhi et al. (2021) present the 2020 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for mood disorders While we applaud their efforts to develop a comprehensive treatment guideline, we call attention to several factual errors leading to erroneous conclusions and recommendations with regard to the treatment of mood disorders

Trait-Based Comparison of Coral and Sponge Microbiomes

Corals and sponges harbor diverse microbial communities that are integral to the functioning of the host. While the taxonomic diversity of their microbiomes has been well-established for corals and sponges, their functional roles are less well-understood. It is unclear if the similarities of symbiosis in an invertebrate host would result in functionally similar microbiomes, or if differences in host phylogeny and environmentally driven microhabitats within each host would shape functionally distinct communities. Here we addressed this question, using metatranscriptomic and 16S rRNA gene profiling techniques to compare the microbiomes of two host organisms from different phyla. Our results indicate functional similarity in carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur assimilation, and aerobic nitrogen cycling. Additionally, there were few statistical differences in pathway coverage or abundance between the two hosts. For example, we observed higher coverage of phosphonate and siderophore metabolic pathways in the star coral, Montastraea cavernosa, while there was higher coverage of chloroalkane metabolism in the giant barrel sponge, Xestospongia muta. Higher abundance of genes associated with carbon fixation pathways was also observed in M. cavernosa, while in X. muta there was higher abundance of fatty acid metabolic pathways. Metagenomic predictions based on 16S rRNA gene profiling analysis were similar, and there was high correlation between the metatranscriptome and metagenome predictions for both hosts. Our results highlight several metabolic pathways that exhibit functional similarity in these coral and sponge microbiomes despite the taxonomic differences between the two microbiomes, as well as potential specialization of some microbially based metabolism within each host

Rab11 rescues synaptic dysfunction and behavioural deficits in a Drosophila model of Huntington's disease

Synapse abnormalities in Huntington's disease (HD) patients can precede clinical diagnosis and neuron loss by decades. The polyglutamine expansion in the huntingtin (htt) protein that underlies this disorder leads to perturbations in many cellular pathways, including the disruption of Rab11-dependent endosomal recycling. Impairment of the small GTPase Rab11 leads to the defective formation of vesicles in HD models and may thus contribute to the early stages of the synaptic dysfunction in this disorder. Here, we employ transgenic Drosophila melanogaster models of HD to investigate anomalies at the synapse and the role of Rab11 in this pathology. We find that the expression of mutant htt in the larval neuromuscular junction decreases the presynaptic vesicle size, reduces quantal amplitudes and evoked synaptic transmission and alters larval crawling behaviour. Furthermore, these indicators of early synaptic dysfunction are reversed by the overexpression of Rab11. This work highlights a potential novel HD therapeutic strategy for early intervention, prior to neuronal loss and clinical manifestation of disease