Plant defense under Arctic light conditions: Can plants withstand invading pests?

Global warming is predicted to change the growth conditions for plants and crops in regions at high latitudes (>60° N), including the Arctic. This will be accompanied by alterations in the composition of natural plant and pest communities, as herbivorous arthropods will invade these regions as well. Interactions between previously non-overlapping species may occur and cause new challenges to herbivore attack. However, plants growing at high latitudes experience less herbivory compared to plants grown at lower latitudes. We hypothesize that this finding is due to a gradient of constitutive chemical defense towards the Northern regions. We further hypothesize that higher level of defensive compounds is mediated by higher level of the defense-related phytohormone jasmonate. Because its biosynthesis is light dependent, Arctic summer day light conditions can promote jasmonate accumulation and, hence, downstream physiological responses. A pilot study with bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) plants grown under different light regimes supports the hypothesis.publishedVersio

Plant defense under Arctic light conditions: Can plants withstand invading pests?

Global warming is predicted to change the growth conditions for plants and crops in regions at high latitudes (>60° N), including the Arctic. This will be accompanied by alterations in the composition of natural plant and pest communities, as herbivorous arthropods will invade these regions as well. Interactions between previously non-overlapping species may occur and cause new challenges to herbivore attack. However, plants growing at high latitudes experience less herbivory compared to plants grown at lower latitudes. We hypothesize that this finding is due to a gradient of constitutive chemical defense towards the Northern regions. We further hypothesize that higher level of defensive compounds is mediated by higher level of the defense-related phytohormone jasmonate. Because its biosynthesis is light dependent, Arctic summer day light conditions can promote jasmonate accumulation and, hence, downstream physiological responses. A pilot study with bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) plants grown under different light regimes supports the hypothesis

On the genetic and environmental sources of social and political participation in adolescence and early adulthood

Kornadt A, Hufer A, Kandler C, Riemann R. On the genetic and environmental sources of social and political participation in adolescence and early adulthood. PLOS ONE. 2018;13(8): e0202518.Political participation (POP), social participation (SOP), and political interest (PI) are important indicators of social status and social inequality. Previous studies on related trait differences yielded genetic and environmental contributions. However, focusing on adult samples, classical twin designs, and convenience samples often restricts parameter estimation and generalizability, and limits the understanding of age differences. We investigated sources of variance in POP, SOP, and PI in late adolescence and early adulthood with an extended twin family design (ETFD). We analyzed data from over 2,000 representative German twin families. Individual environments not shared by family members reflected the major source of variance for all variables, but genetic influences were also pronounced. Genetic effects were mostly higher for young adults, whereas effects of twins’ shared environment were significant in adolescence. Our study deepens the understanding of the interplay between genetic and environmental factors in shaping differences in young persons’ integration in society

The Effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia on Multidimensional Perfectionism

Perfectionism is related to insomnia and objective markers of disturbed sleep. This study examined whether multidimensional perfectionism is related to dysfunctional beliefs about sleep, sleep-effort, pre-sleep arousal, and polysomnography-determined markers of sleep amongst individuals with insomnia. The effects of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) on perfectionism was also examined. This was a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial on CBT-I. Forty-three insomnia patients were randomized to treatment (receiving CBT-I) or waitlist control groups. Sleep was recorded using polysomnography at baseline. Participants completed measures of perfectionism, dysfunctional beliefs about sleep, sleep-effort and pre-sleep arousal at baseline and post-treatment. Total perfectionism scores and doubts about action, concern over mistakes and personal standards were each significantly related to increased sleep effort, pre-sleep arousal and dysfunctional beliefs about sleep at baseline. Patients receiving treatment displayed increased total perfectionism scores post-treatment d=.49. In those receiving treatment, levels of organization d=.49 and parental expectations d=.47 were significantly increased post-treatment, relative to baseline. In line with the literature, our results confirm that perfectionism is related to insomnia. Here, insomnia was related to increased sleep effort, pre-sleep arousal and dysfunctional beliefs about sleep. The propensity to maintain a high standard of order and organization may be elevated following CBT-I, considering the treatment protocol expects patients to strictly adhere to a set of clearly defined rules. Levels of parental expectations may be increased following CBT-I since the patient-therapist-relationship may trigger implicitly expectations in the patients which are reminiscent of their relationship to their parents

Literatur-Rundschau

Christian Schicha/Carsten Brosda (Hg.): Handbuch Medienethik (Claus Eurich)Hannelore Bublitz: Im Beichtstuhl der Medien. Die Produktion des Selbst im öffentlichen Bekenntnis (Daniel Meier)Christian Wessely/Alexander D. Ornella (Hg.): Religion und Mediengesellschaft. Beiträge zu einem Paradoxon (Heinz Niederleitner)Siegfried Krückenberg: Die Hörfunkarbeit evangelischer Kirchen in Europa zu Beginn des 21. Jahrhunderts (Nicole Stroth)Leif Kramp/Stephan Weichert: Die Meinungsmacher. Über die Verwahrlosung des Hauptstadtjournalismus (Ernst Elitz)Andreas Bernard: Vorn. Roman (Anna Riemann)

Insomnia evaluation and treatment during peripartum: a joint position paper from the European Insomnia Network task force “Sleep and Women,” the Italian Marcè Society and international experts task force for perinatal mental health

Insomnia symptoms are frequent during peripartum and are considered risk factors for peripartum psychopathology. Assessing and treating insomnia and related conditions of sleep loss during peripartum should be a priority in the clinical practice. The aim of this paper was to conduct a systematic review on insomnia evaluation and treatment during peripartum which may be useful for clinicians. The literature review was carried out between January 2000 and May 2021 on the evaluation and treatment of insomnia during the peripartum period. The PubMed, PsycINFO, and Embase electronic databases were searched for literature published according to the PRISMA guidance with several combinations of search terms “insomnia” and “perinatal period” or “pregnancy” or “post partum” or “lactation” or “breastfeeding” and “evaluation” and “treatment.” Based on this search, 136 articles about insomnia evaluation and 335 articles on insomnia treatment were found and we conducted at the end a narrative review. According to the inclusion/exclusion criteria, 41 articles were selected for the evaluation part and 22 on the treatment part, including the most recent meta-analyses and systematic reviews. Evaluation of insomnia during peripartum, as for insomnia patients, may be conducted at least throughout a clinical interview, but specific rating scales are available and may be useful for assessment. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), as for insomnia patients, should be the preferred treatment choice during peripartum, and it may be useful to also improve mood, anxiety symptoms, and fatigue. Pharmacological treatment may be considered when women who present with severe forms of insomnia symptoms do not respond to nonpharmacologic therapy

Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia does not appear to have a substantial impact on early markers of cardiovascular disease: A preliminary randomized controlled trial

According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the world. Therefore, early prevention of these diseases is a public health priority. Epidemiological data suggest that insomnia may be a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. A randomized controlled trial in a sample of insomnia patients without cardiovascular disease was conducted to investigate the effects of insomnia treatment on early markers of cardiovascular diseases assessed by 24‐hr ambulatory blood pressure, heart rate and heart rate variability monitoring, and morning fasting blood samples. Forty‐six patients with insomnia disorder were randomized to cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT‐I; n = 23) or a waitlist control condition (n = 23). Contrary to the hypothesis, intention‐to‐treat analyses did not show any significant treatment effects on early markers of cardiovascular disease (d = 0.0–0.6) despite successful insomnia treatment (d = 1.3). Potential methodological and conceptual reasons for these negative findings are discussed. Future studies might include larger sample sizes that are at risk of cardiovascular diseases and focus on other cardiovascular markers

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in patients with mental disorders and comorbid insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Almost 70% of patients with mental disorders report sleep difficulties and 30% fulfill the criteria for insomnia disorder. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the first-line treatment for insomnia according to current treatment guidelines. Despite this circumstance, insomnia is frequently treated only pharmacologically especially in patients with mental disorders. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to quantify the effects of CBT-I in patients with mental disorders and comorbid insomnia on two outcome parameters: the severity of insomnia and mental health. The databases PubMed, CINHAL (Ebsco) und PsycINFO (Ovid) were searched for randomized controlled trials on adult patients with comorbid insomnia and any mental disorder comparing CBT-I to placebo, waitlist or treatment as usual using self-rating questionnaires as outcomes for either insomnia or mental health or both. The search resulted in 1994 records after duplicate removal of which 22 fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included for the meta-analysis. The comorbidities were depression (eight studies, 491 patients), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD, four studies, 216 patients), alcohol dependency (three studies, 79 patients), bipolar disorder (one study, 58 patients), psychosis (one study, 50 patients) and mixed comorbidities within one study (five studies, 189 patients). The effect sizes for the reduction of insomnia severity post treatment were 0.5 (confidence interval, CI, 0.3-0.8) for patients with depression, 1.5 (CI 1.0-1.9) for patients with PTSD, 1.4 (CI 0.9-1.9) for patients with alcohol dependency, 1.2 (CI 0.8-1.7) for patients with psychosis/bipolar disorder, and 0.8 (CI 0.1-1.6) for patients with mixed comorbidities. Effect sizes for the reduction of insomnia severity were moderate to large at follow-up. Regarding the effects on comorbid symptom severity, effect sizes directly after treatment were 0.5 (CI 0.1-0.8) for depression, 1.3 (CI 0.6-1.9) for PTSD, 0.9 (CI 0.3-1.4) for alcohol dependency in only one study, 0.3 (CI -0.1 - 0.7, insignificant) for psychosis/bipolar, and 0.8 (CI 0.1-1.5) for mixed comorbidities. There were no significant effects on comorbid symptoms at follow-up. Together, these significant, stable medium to large effects indicate that CBT-I is an effective treatment for patients with insomnia and a comorbid mental disorder, especially depression, PTSD and alcohol dependency. CBT-I is also an effective add-on treatment with the aim of improving mental health in patients with depression, PTSD, and symptom severity in outpatients with mixed diagnoses. Thus, in patients with mental disorders and comorbid insomnia, given the many side effects of medication, CBT-I should be considered as a first-line treatment

Adherence to sleep restriction therapy – An evaluation of existing measures

Summary: Sleep restriction, a key element of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, involves considerable behavioural changes in patients' lives, leading to side‐effects like increased daytime sleepiness. Studies on sleep restriction rarely report adherence, and when assessed it is often limited to the average number of therapy sessions attended. This study aims to systematically evaluate different measures of adherence to cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia and their relationship with treatment outcome. This is a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial investigating cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (Johann et al. (2020) Journal of Sleep Research, 29, e13102). The sample included 23 patients diagnosed with insomnia according to DSM‐5 criteria who underwent 8 weeks of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia. The following adherence measures based on sleep diary data were used: number of sessions completed; deviations from agreed time in bed; average percentage of patients deviating from bedtime by 15, 30 or 60 min; variability of bedtime and wake‐up time; change in time in bed from pre‐ to post‐assessment. Treatment outcome was assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index. Multiple regression models were employed, and insomnia severity was controlled for. Results showed that none of the adherence measures predict insomnia severity. Baseline insomnia severity, dysfunctional thoughts and attitudes about sleep, depression or perfectionism did not predict adherence. The limited variance in the outcome parameter due to most patients benefiting from treatment and the small sample size may explain these findings. Additionally, using objective measures like actigraphy could provide a better understanding of adherence behaviour. Lastly, the presence of perfectionism in patients with insomnia may have mitigated adherence problems in this study

Increased breath naphthalene in children with asthma and wheeze of the All Age Asthma Cohort (ALLIANCE).

Background
Exhaled breath contains numerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) known to be related to lung disease like asthma. Its collection is non-invasive, simple to perform and therefore an attractive method for the use even in young children. We analysed breath in children of the multicenter All Age Asthma Cohort (ALLIANCE) to evaluate if "breathomics" have the potential to phenotype patients with asthma and wheeze, and to identify extrinsic risk factors for underlying disease mechanisms.
Methods
A breath sample was collected from 142 children (asthma: 51, pre-school wheezers: 55, healthy controls: 36) and analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Children were diagnosed according to GINA guidelines and comprehensively examined each year over up to seven years. Forty children repeated the breath collection after 24 or 48 months. 
Results
Most breath VOCs differing between groups reflect the exposome of the children. We observed lower levels of lifestyle-related VOCs and higher levels of the environmental pollutants, especially naphthalene, in children with asthma or wheeze. Naphthalene was also higher in symptomatic patients and in wheezers with recent inhaled corticosteroid use. No relationships with lung function or TH2 inflammation were detected.
Conclusion
Increased levels of naphthalene in asthmatics and wheezers and the relationship to disease severity could indicate a role of environmental or indoor air pollution for the development or progress of asthma. Breath VOCs might help to elucidate the role of the exposome for the development of asthma.
The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02496468).
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