Psychometric Analysis of a New Questionnaire Assessing the Acceptance of Unpleasant and Pleasant Emotions (FrAGe)

Beblo T, Scheulen C, Fernando SC, et al. Psychometrische Analyse eines neuen Fragebogens zur Erfassung der Akzeptanz von unangenehmen und angenehmen Gefühlen (FrAGe). Zeitschrift für Psychiatrie Psychologie und Psychotherapie. 2011;59(2):133-144.Acceptance is an emotion regulation strategy with beneficial effects for mental health. The present study investigated the psychometric properties of a newly developed questionnaire which assesses the acceptance of unpleasant and pleasant emotions. The psychometric properties of the "Questionnaire for the Acceptance of Emotions (FrAGe)" were evaluated in two studies involving 171 and 207 non-clinical subjects. FrAGe consists of items regarding acceptance and suppression of unpleasant and pleasant emotions. For validation the "Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)" and a short version of the "Symptom Checklist (SCL-K-9)" were also administered. After analysing the 40 items in the first study, we revised and shortened the questionnaire to 32 items. The second study showed satisfying characteristics regarding the items' reliability and validity. As expected for this non-clinical sample, some items for pleasant emotions showed extreme values. Results demonstrate the sound psychometric properties of FrAGe. For non-clinical subjects, one might consider focusing primarily on the scales for unpleasant emotions

Tannins and Tannin-Related Derivatives Enhance the (Pseudo-)Halogenating Activity of Lactoperoxidase

Several hydrolyzable tannins, proanthocyanidins, tannin derivatives, and a tannin-rich plant extract of tormentil rhizome were tested for their potential to regenerate the (pseudo-)halogenating activity, i.e. the oxidation of SCN- to hypothiocyanite -OSCN, of lactoperoxidase (LPO) after hydrogen peroxide-mediated enzyme inactivation. Measurements were performed using 5-thio-2-nitrobenzoic acid in the presence of tannins and related substances in order to determine kinetic parameters and to trace the LPO-mediated -OSCN formation. The results were combined with docking studies and molecular orbital analysis. The -OSCN-regenerating effect of tannin derivatives relates well with their binding properties toward LPO as well as their occupied molecular orbitals. Especially simple compounds like ellagic acid or methyl gallate and the complex plant extract were found as potent enzyme-regenerating compounds. As the (pseudo-)halogenating activity of LPO contributes to the maintenance of oral bacterial homeostasis, the results provide new insights into the antibacterial mode of action of tannins and related compounds. Furthermore, chemical properties of the tested compounds that are important for efficient enzyme-substrate interaction and regeneration of the -OSCN formation by LPO were identified.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Analysis of cultivable microbiota and diet intake pattern of the long-lived naked mole-rat

BACKGROUND: A variety of microbial communities exist throughout the human and animal body. Genetics, environmental factors and long-term dietary habit contribute to shaping the composition of the gut microbiota. For this reason the study of the gut microbiota of a mammal exhibiting an extraordinary life span is of great importance. The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is a eusocial mammal known for its longevity and cancer resistance. METHODS: Here we analyzed its gut microbiota by cultivating the bacteria under aerobic and anaerobic conditions and identifying their species by mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Altogether, 29 species of microbes were identified, predominantly belonging to Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes. The most frequent species were Bacillus megaterium (45.2 %), followed by Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (19.4 %), Bacteroides ovatus, Staphylococcus sciuri and Paenibacillus spp., each with a frequency of 16.1 %. CONCLUSION: Overall, the gut of the naked mole-rat is colonized by diverse, but low numbers of cultivable microbes compared with humans and mice. The primary food plants of the rodents are rich in polyphenols and related compounds, possessing anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative as well as anti-cancer activity which may contribute to their exceptionally healthy life

Progressive replacement of embryo-derived cardiac macrophages with age

Cardiac macrophages (cM ) are critical for early postnatal heart regeneration and fibrotic repair in the adult heart, but their origins and cellular dynamics during postnatal develop - ment have not been well characterized. Tissue macrophages can be derived from embryonic progenitors or from monocytes during inflammation. We report that within the first weeks after birth, the embryo-derived population of resident CX3CR1 + cM diversifies into MHCII + and MHCII cells. Genetic fate mapping demonstrated that cM derived from CX3CR1 + embryonic progenitors persisted into adulthood but the initially high contribution to resident cM declined after birth. Consistent with this, the early significant prolifera - tion rate of resident cM decreased with age upon diversification into subpopulations. Bone marrow (BM) reconstitution experiments showed monocyte-dependent quantitative replacement of all cM populations. Furthermore, parabiotic mice and BM chimeras of nonirradiated recipient mice revealed a slow but significant donor contribution to cM . Together, our observations indicate that in the heart, embryo-derived cM show declining self-renewal with age and are progressively substituted by monocyte-derived macrophages, even in the absence of inflammation

The rRNA m(6)A methyltransferase METTL5 is involved in pluripotency and developmental programs

Covalent chemical modifications of cellular RNAs directly impact all biological processes. However, our mechanistic understanding of the enzymes catalyzing these modifications, their substrates and biological functions, remains vague. Amongst RNA modifications N-6-methyladenosine (m(6)A) is widespread and found in messenger (mRNA), ribosomal (rRNA), and noncoding RNAs. Here, we undertook a systematic screen to uncover new RNA methyltransferases. We demonstrate that the methyltransferase-like 5 (METTL5) protein catalyzes m(6)A in 18S rRNA at position A(1832). We report that absence of Mett15 in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) results in a decrease in global translation rate, spontaneous loss of pluripotency, and compromised differentiation potential. METTL5-deficient mice are born at non-Mendelian rates and develop morphological and behavioral abnormalities. Importantly, mice lacking METTL5 recapitulate symptoms of patients with DNA variants in METTL5, thereby providing a new mouse disease model. Overall, our biochemical, molecular, and in vivo characterization highlights the importance of m(6)A in rRNA in stemness, differentiation, development, and diseases