Examining the structure of ideas of reference in clinical and community samples

Aims: This study addresses the psychometric properties of a Spanish validation of the REF scale of ideas of reference (IRs) in detecting and following at-risk mental states and psychosis. Methods: A total of 9447 participants were distributed in three groups: 676 patients with various diagnoses-154 with psychotic disorders, 6291 youths aged 11 to 20, and 2480 adult participants aged 21 to 84. Results: Youths had higher scores than adults on IRs, observing a progressive decrease and stabilization in the twenties. Exploratory factor analysis provided a structure for the overall IRs score, with five first-order dimensions and one second-order dimension. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the structure with excellent fit. The REF scale was invariant across sex and samples. The internal consistency of the complete scale was excellent and acceptable across the five first-order factors. Strong relationships were found with the positive dimension of the community assessment of psychic experience-42, as well as with aberrant salience. Low and moderate relationships were found with public self-consciousness, anxiety, and depression. Youths and patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders had a high mean IRs frequency. Male sex, greater age (among the adults), and the "causal explanations", "Songs, newspapers, books" and laughing and commenting" REF subscales showed predictive power in the diagnostic categories of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders

The dark side of Instagram: Predictor model of dysmorphic concerns

Background/Objective: Dysmorphic concern are excessive preoccupation about one or several physical characteristics perceived as defects, usually unnoticeable by others. This study was Appearance-related intended to explore the relationship between Instagram use and dysmorphic concerns through appearance-related comparisons, ideas of reference and problems with emotion regulation, and find out whether this relationship is moderated by gender. Method: The sample was cornprised of 796 participants (M-age = 22.49; SD = 3.56; 54% women). Results: The results showed a non-significant direct effect between Instagram use and dysmorphic concerns. However, the relationship between these variables was statistically significant through appearance-related comparisons, ideas of reference about "laughing, commenting" and difficulties in emotion regulation. Gender did not moderate any relationship. Conclusions: Men and women who made the most use of Instagram were equally vulnerable to dysmorphic concerns when they tended to compare their appearance with other users, had problems regulating their emotions, and showed interpretative biases related to the belief that others could make comments about them or laugh at them because of their imperfections. The implications of the study are discussed. (C) 2020 Asociacion Espanola de Psicologia Conductual. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U

The ideas of reference and worry for their presence: Study on their relevance to the characterization of psychosis

Se estudia el papel de las ideas de referencia (IR) en psicopatología y se propone evaluar la preocupación o malestar cuando se dan las IR. Se analiza si la preocupación por las IR se relaciona con los síntomas psicóticos; si la preocupación por las IR diferencia entre clases de trastornos, destacada en la esquizofrenia y otros trastornos psicóticos; si diferencia entre diagnósticos específicos, elevada en la esquizofrenia paranoide; si la evaluación de la preocupación presenta adecuada sensibilidad, especificidad, y si discrimina entre controles y pacientes de la clase diagnóstica esquizofrenia y otros trastornos psicóticos. Participaron 666 pacientes (59,16% mujeres), media de edad = 34,45 años (DT = 12,56), y 3.842 controles (67,28% mujeres), media de edad = 27,15 años (DT = 11,38). Los resultados señalan que la preocupación tiene que ver con indicadores psicóticos, discrimina entre clases diagnósticas ( 2 parcial = 0,14) y entre diagnósticos específicos ( 2 parcial = 0,12), principalmente destacada en la esquizofrenia paranoide y el trastorno esquizoafectivo. Se obtiene adecuada sensibilidad y especificidad, y separación de controles con respecto a la clase diagnóstica de Esquizofrenia y otros trastornos psicóticos. La evaluación de las IR es relevante, pero en mayor medida, la evaluación del grado de malestar o perturbación que ocasionan las IR.The role of ideas of reference (IR) in psychopathology is studied for the purpose of evaluating worry or distress when IR are present. We analyze whether worry about IR is related to psychotic symptoms, whether it differentiates among diagnostic classes as prominent in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, whether worry about IR differentiates among specific diagnoses, as high in paranoid schizophrenia, whether assessment of worry is sufficiently sensitive and specific, and whether it discriminates between controls and patients of diagnostic class schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. The sample was made up of 666 patients (59.16% women), Mage = 34.45 years (SD = 12.56) and 3842 controls (67.28% women), Mage = 27.15 years (SD = 11.38). Worry about IR was related to psychotic indicators, discriminates among diagnostic classes (partial 2 = .14) and among specific diagnoses (partial 2 = 12), and is mainly featured in paranoid schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Sensitivity and specificity were adequate, as was separation of controls from the diagnostic class schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. The assessment of IR is relevant, but it is even more important to assess the level of worry or distress about them

MOF/polymer hybrids through in situ free radical polymerization in metal-organic frameworks

We use the free radical polymerization initiator 4,40-azobis(cyanovaleric acid) coordinated to the open metal sites of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to give rise to highly uniform MOF/polymer hybrids.We demonstrate this strategy on two robust zirconium MOFs (NU-1000 and MOF- 808), which are the most effective catalysts for degradation of chemical warfare nerve agents. The resulting hybrid materials maintain their hydrolytic catalytic activity and have substantially improved adhesion to polypropylene and activated carbon textile fibers, yielding highly robust MOF/polymer/textile hybrid systems. These composites are suitable for the green production of active protective clothing and filters capable of detoxifying organophosphorus warfare agents.National Science Center (NCN) of Poland 2020/37/N/ST5/01107 UMO-2014/14/E/ST5/00652Polish NAWA Agency under the Ulam Fellowship program PPN/ULM/2020/1/00218University of WarwickMCIN/AEI PID2020-113608RB-I00UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) EP/T015063/1UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)European CommissionBirmingham Science City Advanced Materials Project 1 - Advantage West Midlands (AWM) Birmingham Science City Advanced Materials Project 2 - Advantage West Midlands (AWM

Body image and adolescence: A behavioral impairment model

Adolescence is a period marked by important physical and social changes that can lead to a negative body image. The purpose of this study was to find a model enabling the appearance of behavioral impairment related to body image (restrictions, avoidance, and checking) to be predicted by body image attitudes (concern or Appearance Orientation, and dissatisfaction or Appearance Evaluation), Gender, emotional symptomatology, self-consciousness, ideas of reference (IR) and age. A total of 661 participants (67.47% girls) with an average age of 17.14 years (SD=2.34) filled in the GHQ-28, SCS on self-consciousness, REF referential thinking scale, MBSRQ (AO and AE), and BIAQ. A partial mediation model was found for IR, age and depressive symptomatology between dissatisfaction and concern about body image and Gender, to behavioral impairment related to body image. The results found suggest that age, depressive symptomatology, and IR may be mediator variables in the relationship between dissatisfaction and concern about body image, on body image behavioral impairment. This relationship implies a severity to be considered in intervention and monitoring of body image behavioral impairments in adolescents

Relationship of trauma, dossociation, and positive psychotic symptoms

El objetivo de esta investigación fue estudiar experiencias traumáticas y disociativas en una muestra de pacientes españoles con psicosis y su relación con las alucinaciones. Setenta y un pacientes con psicosis completaron una escala de experiencias disociativas (DES-II, Carlson y Putnam, 1993), un cuestionario de traumas (TQ, Davidson, Hughes y Blazer, 1990) y se les administró también los ítems de delirios y alucinaciones de la PANSS (Kay, Opler y Lindenmayer, 1988). Los resultados mostraron que los sujetos que presentaban alucinaciones y delirios habían experimentado un número significativamente mayor de las experiencias traumáticas en la infancia, pero no en la edad adulta. Con respecto a la disociación, los sujetos con alucinaciones y delirios presentaban puntuaciones altas en disociación que los sujetos sin estos síntomas psicóticos. Respecto al tipo de trauma, se encontró que los sujetos con alucinaciones presentaban más abusos físicos y amenazas en la infancia, no encontrándose diferencias en el tipo de traumas en función de la presencia o no de delirios. Por último, de los factores estudiados en esta investigación, solamente la despersonalización predijo la presencia de alucinaciones, encontrándose que ninguno de dichos factores predijo la presencia de delirios.The purpose of this research was to study traumatic and dissociative experiences in a sample of Spanish patients with psychosis and their relationship to hallucinations. Seventy-one patients with psychosis filled in a dissociative experiences scale (DES-II, Carlson & Putnam, 1993), a trauma questionnaire (TQ, Davidson, Hughes, & Blazer, 1990) and the PANSS delusion and hallucination items (Kay, Opler, & Lindenmayer, 1988). The results showed that subjects who had hallucinations and delusions had undergone a significantly larger number of traumatic experiences in childhood, but not as adults. Subjects with hallucinations and delusions had higher scores in dissociation than those who did not have these psychotic symptoms. It was also found that subjects with hallucinations had had experienced more physical abuse and threats in childhood, while there were no differences in the type of trauma for presence or not of delusions. Finally, of the factors studied in this research, only depersonalization predicted the presence of hallucinations, and none of these factors predicted the presence of delusions

Predictors of referential thinking: analyses of clinical subjects and controls

Antecedentes: El pensamiento referencial (PR) es una característica común de la actividad mental humana. En psicopatología, el PR se suele asociar a las psicosis. Este estudio analiza las diferencias en PR (auto-referencias, AR) entre una muestra clínica y de control. Se identifican variables que predicen el PR. Método: 120 adultos (70 pacientes, y 50 controles de población general), edad media: 34.49 años (DE: 10.63); 60% mujeres. Resultados: El número de AR entre los pacientes, especialmente entre los diagnosticados de psicosis, fue significativamente mayor que entre los controles. No hubo diferencias significativas en el PR de pacientes con diagnósticos del Eje II, o con diagnósticos en diferentes ejes. Las variables predictivas de AR son: pensamiento psicótico (inventario de personalidad MCMI-II, trastornos del pensamiento), desorganización conceptual (escala psiquiátrica BPRS), edad, y vulnerabilidad para las alteraciones anímicas (escala DAS). Estas variables de estado y rasgo representaron el 56.4% de la varianza del PR. Conclusiones: Hubo más diferencias entre pacientes y controles en frecuencia de AR que de contenido (el PR tiene lugar en un continuo). El PR puede ser tanto una manifestación de estado (con un efecto aditivo de psicopatologías), como de rasgo (característica de los procesos psicóticos y posiblemente asociado a la vulnerabilidad para las alteraciones anímicas)

GSE4, a small dyskerin- and GSE24.2-related peptide, induces telomerase activity, cell proliferation and reduces DNA damage, oxidative stress and cell senescence in dyskerin mutant cells

Dyskeratosis congenita is an inherited disease caused by mutations in genes coding for telomeric components. It was previously reported that expression of a dyskerin-derived peptide, GSE24.2, increases telomerase activity, regulates gene expression and decreases DNA damage and oxidative stress in dyskeratosis congenita patient cells. The biological activity of short peptides derived from GSE24.2 was tested and one of them, GSE4, that probed to be active, was further characterized in this article. Expression of this eleven amino acids long peptide increased telomerase activity and reduced DNA damage, oxidative stress and cell senescence in dyskerin-mutated cells. GSE4 expression also activated c-myc and TERT promoters and increase of c-myc, TERT and TERC expression. The level of biological activity of GSE4 was similar to that obtained by GSE24.2 expression. Incorporation of a dyskerin nuclear localization signal to GSE24.2 did not change its activity on promoter regulation and DNA damage protection. However, incorporation of a signal that increases the rate of nucleolar localization impaired GSE24.2 activity. Incorporation of the dyskerin nuclear localization signal to GSE4 did not alter its biological activity. Mutation of the Aspartic Acid residue that is conserved in the pseudouridine synthase domain present in GSE4 did not impair its activity, except for the repression of c-myc promoter activity and the decrease of c-myc, TERT and TERC gene expression in dyskerin-mutated cells. These results indicated that GSE4 could be of great therapeutic interest for treatment of dyskeratosis congenita patients.This work was supported by grants PI1401495 (supported by FEDER funds) and ER15PR07ACC114/757 (Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Spain), 201320E075 (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) and IPT-2012-0674- 090000 (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. Spain). CM-G is supported by the CIBER de Enfermedades Raras.Peer Reviewe

Structural determinants of the neuronal glycine transporter 2 for the selective inhibitors ALX1393 and ORG25543

The neuronal glycine transporter GlyT2 modulates inhibitory glycinergic neurotransmission by controlling the extracellular concentration of synaptic glycine and the supply of neurotransmitter to the presynaptic terminal. Spinal cord glycinergic neurons present in the dorsal horn diminish their activity in pathological pain conditions and behave as gate keepers of the touch-pain circuitry. The pharmacological blockade of GlyT2 reduces the progression of the painful signal to rostral areas of the central nervous system by increasing glycine extracellular levels, so it has analgesic action. O-[(2-benzyloxyphenyl-3-fluorophenyl)methyl]-L-serine (ALX1393) and N-[[1-(dimethylamino)cyclopentyl]methyl]-3,5-dimethoxy-4-(phenylmethoxy)benzamide (ORG25543) are two selective GlyT2 inhibitors with nanomolar affinity for the transporter and analgesic effects in pain animal models, although with deficiencies which preclude further clinical development. In this report, we performed a comparative ligand docking of ALX1393 and ORG25543 on a validated GlyT2 structural model including all ligand sites constructed by homology with the crystallized dopamine transporter from Drosophila melanogaster. Molecular dynamics simulations and energy analysis of the complex and functional analysis of a series of point mutants permitted to determine the structural determinants of ALX1393 and ORG25543 discrimination by GlyT2. The ligands establish simultaneous contacts with residues present in transmembrane domains 1, 3, 6, and 8 and block the transporter in outward-facing conformation and hence inhibit glycine transport. In addition, differential interactions of ALX1393 with the cation bound at Na1 site and ORG25543 with TM10 define the differential sites of the inhibitors and explain some of their individual features. Structural information about the interactions with GlyT2 may provide useful tools for new drug discoveryThis work was supported by grants of the Spanish ‘Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad’, grant number SAF2017-84235-R (AEI/FEDER, EU) to B.L.-C. and by institutional grants from the Fundación Ramón Areces and Banco de Santander to the CBMS

Pleasant and unpleasant ideas of reference and their relation to psychopathology

En trabajos previos registramos la presencia de ideas de referencia con la escala REF de pensamiento referencial. Las diferencias entre pacientes y controles son claras, no siendo así entre categorías diagnósticas, exceptuando los casos de trastornos psicóticos. Objetivos: Nos proponemos verificar si las diferencias entre pacientes y controles se deben a la presencia de autorreferencias agradables (AA) y desagradables (AD) y, especialmente, al considerar los diversos grupos de diagnósticos. Método: Participaron 1600 sujetos, 1245 de población general y 355 pacientes, 63.3% mujeres. Resultados: Se observan diferencias significativas entre pacientes y controles tanto para las AA F (1, 1598)= 62.31 como AD F (1, 1598)= 99.47. Cuando se analizan las categorías diagnósticas, se hallan diferencias en el promedio de AD F (7, 347)= 2.770 y AA F (7, 347)= 3.870, destacando los pacientes psicóticos. Discusión: Los pacientes psicóticos únicamente se diferenciaron de los pacientes con trastornos adaptativos al considerar las AD, y de los trastornos del estado de ánimo, de ansiedad y adaptativos al considerar las AA.In previous works we recorded the presence of ideas of reference (or self-references) with the REF-scale about referential thinking. The differences between patients and controls are clear, but not so clearly between diagnostic categories, except for psychotic disorders. Aims: We try to verify whether the differences between patients and controls are due to the presence of pleasant self-references (PS) or unpleasant self-references (US) and, especially, considering the different diagnostic groups. Method: 1600 subjects participated, 1245 from general population and 355 patients, 63.3% were women. Results: We obtained significant differences between patients and controls, both PS, F (1, 1598) = 62.31, and US, F (1, 1598) = 99.47. When analyzing the diagnostic categories, differences were obtained in mean of US, F (7, 347) = 2.770, and PS, F (7, 347) = 3.870, highlighting psychotic patients. Discussion: Psychotic patients reached statistically significant differences only with adjustment disorders patients, when considering US; and mood disorders, anxiety and adjustment disorders, when considering PS