Are Defense Styles Mediators between traumatic Experiences and Maladaptive Daydreaming?

Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is a new proposed mental disorder in which an excessive absorption in vivid, narrative fantasies generates impairments in various life domains. This study aimed to examine the role of traumatic life experiences and immature, neurotic, and mature defense styles in MD. Three hundred and fifty-six Italian adults, ranging in age from 18 to 60 years completed an online survey, including measures of MD, traumatic life events, and defense styles. A multiple mediation model showed that immature, neurotic, and mature defense styles fully mediated the relationship between traumatic life experiences and MD. These findings suggest that clinical interventions for people with a history of traumatic experience who developed MD should aim to help them acquire more adaptive coping strategies to deal with traumatic memories

Intra-articular administration of lidocaine plus adrenaline in dogs : pharmacokinetic profile and evaluation of toxicity in vivo and in vitro

The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety of intra-articular (IA) lidocaine plus adrenaline for improving peri-operative analgesia in anaesthetised dogs undergoing arthroscopy of the elbow. A solution of lidocaine (L) 1.98% plus adrenaline 1:100.000 was administered via the IA route and its safety evaluated in terms of cardio- neuro- and chondro-toxicity. No bradycardia or hypotension was recorded from induction to the last observational time point. Signs of toxicity of the nervous system could have been masked by the general anaesthesia but lidocaine concentrations detected in the blood were lower than those thought to be capable of producing toxicity. The assessment of in vitro chondrotoxicity showed a dose- and time-dependent effect of lidocaine on the viability of articular cells. Adrenaline appeared to reduce the chondrotoxicity of 1% lidocaine, following an exposure of up to 30 min

Molecules That Cause or Prevent Parkinson's Disease

An overview of the molecules and associated cell biology underlying neuron death in Parkinson's Diseas

LOFT - a Large Observatory For x-ray Timing

The high time resolution observations of the X-ray sky hold the key to a number of diagnostics of fundamental physics, some of which are unaccessible to other types of investigations, such as those based on imaging and spectroscopy. Revealing strong gravitational field effects, measuring the mass and spin of black holes and the equation of state of ultradense matter are among the goals of such observations. At present prospects for future, non-focused X-ray timing experiments following the exciting age of RXTE/PCA are uncertain. Technological limitations are unavoidably faced in the conception and development of experiments with effective area of several square meters, as needed in order to meet the scientific requirements. We are developing large-area monolithic Silicon Drift Detectors offering high time and energy resolution at room temperature, which require modest resources and operation complexity (e.g., read-out) per unit area. Based on the properties of the detector and read-out electronics that we measured in the lab, we developed a realistic concept for a very large effective area mission devoted to X-ray timing in the 2-30 keV energy range. We show that effective areas in the range of 10-15 square meters are within reach, by using a conventional spacecraft platform and launcher of the small-medium class.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 7732, Paper No. 7732-66, 201

Observation of the TeV gamma-ray source MGRO J1908+06 with ARGO-YBJ

The extended gamma ray source MGRO J1908+06, discovered by the Milagro air shower detector in 2007, has been observed for about 4 years by the ARGO-YBJ experiment at TeV energies, with a statistical significance of 6.2 standard deviations. The peak of the signal is found at a position consistent with the pulsar PSR J1907+0602. Parametrizing the source shape with a two-dimensional Gauss function we estimate an extension \sigma = 0.49 \pm 0.22 degrees, consistent with a previous measurement by the Cherenkov Array H.E.S.S.. The observed energy spectrum is dN/dE = 6.1 \pm 1.4 \times 10^-13 (E/4 TeV)^{-2.54 \pm 0.36} photons cm^-2 s^-1 TeV^-1, in the energy range 1-20 TeV. The measured gamma ray flux is consistent with the results of the Milagro detector, but is 2-3 times larger than the flux previously derived by H.E.S.S. at energies of a few TeV. The continuity of the Milagro and ARGO-YBJ observations and the stable excess rate observed by ARGO-YBJ along 4 years of data taking support the identification of MGRO J1908+06 as the steady powerful TeV pulsar wind nebula of PSR J1907+0602, with an integrated luminosity above 1 TeV about 1.8 times the Crab Nebula luminosity.Comment: 6 pages, accepted for pubblication by ApJ. Replaced to correct the author lis

An empirical analysis of organized crime, corruption and economic growth

In a companion study, Blackburn et al. (Econ Theory Bull, 2017), we have developed a theoretical framework for studying interactions between organized crime and corruption, with the view of examining the combined effects of these phenomena on economic growth. The analysis therein illustrates that organized crime has a negative effect on growth, but that the magnitude of the effect may be either enhanced or mitigated in the presence of corruption. In this paper we tackle the ambiguity produced by the coexistence of the two illicit activities with an empirical investigation using a panel of Italian regions for the period 1983–2009. We find that organized crime distorts growth less when it coexists with corruption and show our results to be robust to different specifications, measures of organized crime, and estimation techniques

The L444P Gba1 mutation enhances alpha-synuclein induced loss of nigral dopaminergic neurons in mice

Mutations in glucocerebrosidase 1 (GBA1) represent the most prevalent risk factor for Parkinson's disease. The molecular mechanisms underlying the link between GBA1 mutations and Parkinson's disease are incompletely understood. We analysed two aged (24-month-old) Gba1 mouse models, one carrying a knock-out mutation and the other a L444P knock-in mutation. A significant reduction of glucocerebrosidase activity was associated with increased total alpha-synuclein accumulation in both these models. Gba1 mutations alone did not alter the number of nigral dopaminergic neurons nor striatal dopamine levels. We then investigated the effect of overexpression of human alpha-synuclein in the substantia nigra of aged (18 to 21-month-old) L444P Gba1 mice. Following intraparenchymal injections of human alpha-synuclein carrying viral vectors, pathological accumulation of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein occurred within the transduced neurons. Stereological counts of nigral dopaminergic neurons revealed a significantly greater cell loss in Gba1-mutant than wild-type mice. These results indicate that Gba1 deficiency enhances neuronal vulnerability to neurodegenerative processes triggered by increased alpha-synuclein expression

THE ROLE OF BUTYRIC ACID AS A OPROTECTIVE AGENT AGAINST INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE

Inflammatory Bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are pathologies characterized by a chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Their etiopathogenesis is not yet fully understood. Immune system and heat shock proteins (HSPs) dysfunctions are considered to be among the most likely causes of these diseases. Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid produced by intestinal microflora. It has a trophic, benefical and protective role in the colonic mucosa, and it also induces changes in Hsp levels and localization. It may therefore be a valuable complementary therapeutic agent when used alongside trraditional drugs (mesalazine and corticosteroids) to treat the production of butyrate in the endoluminal environment may promote clinical remission in IBD patients. Due to these characteristics, there has been keen interest in the use of butyrate as a novel therapeutic supplement in the recent years. The current findings need to be validated through further clinical trials to better define the bbiomolecular dynamics of butyrate in the colonocytes of IBD patients