The influence of an attachment-related stimulus on oxytocin reactivity in poly-drug users undergoing maintenance therapy compared to healthy controls

Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) have been described as a dysfunctional way to compensate for deficiencies in that person’s underlying attachment system. Furthermore, the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT), which is a critical component of the neurobiology of the attachment system, has been shown to effectively reduce addictive behavior and therefore has been discussed as a potential medication in SUD treatment. This study investigates variation in peripheral OT plasma levels as a function of exposure to an attachment-related stimulus in SUD patients compared to healthy controls (HCs). Methods: A total sample of 48 men, 24 inpatients in maintenance treatment who were diagnosed with poly-drug use disorder (PUD) and 24 HC, was investigated. A 15-min exposure to the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP) was used as an attachment-related stimulus and coded for attachment status. Blood samples before and after the AAP-assessment were taken and assayed for OT levels. Variation in baselines level of OT was examined in relation to the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST), the Adult Attachment-Scale (AAS), and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Results: Following the AAP stimulus controls showed no significant difference in OT levels elevation from baseline compared to the PUD group’s OT levels. Furthermore, in the PUD group only OT-baseline-levels may be negatively associated with the AAS subscale “Comfort with Closeness” and “Anxiety” and lifetime substance use. Discussion: Our results suggest that peripheral OT levels in poly-drug users undergoing maintenance treatment are not significantly different in responsiveness to an attachment related stimulus compared to HC. With regard to non-significant tendencies observed in this study which hint toward decreased OT-reactivity in the PUD group, further research is needed to explore this hypothesis with increased statistical power

TIM-3 Regulates CD103+ Dendritic Cell Function and Response to Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer

Intratumoral CD103+ dendritic cells (DCs) are necessary for anti-tumor immunity. Here we evaluated the expression of immune regulators by CD103+ DCs in a murine model of breast cancer and identified expression of TIM-3 as a target for therapy. Anti-TIM-3 antibody improved response to paclitaxel chemotherapy in models of triple-negative and luminal B disease, with no evidence of toxicity. Combined efficacy was CD8+ T cell dependent and associated with increased granzyme B expression; however, TIM-3 expression was predominantly localized to myeloid cells in both human and murine tumors. Gene expression analysis identified upregulation of Cxcl9 within intratumoral DCs during combination therapy, and therapeutic efficacy was ablated by CXCR3 blockade, Batf3 deficiency, or Irf8 deficiency

Population Genetic Consequences of Different Dispersal-Distance Distributions in a Continuous Landscape

51 pages, 1 article*Population Genetic Consequences of Different Dispersal-Distance Distributions in a Continuous Landscape* (Tisch, N.; Goldberg, D. S.; Hiebler, D. E.; Hume, G. L.; McCulloch, C. E.; Safran, R. J.; Stenzler, L. M.; Sundell, N. M.; Winkler, D. W.) 51 page

IEA SHC Task 42 / ECES Annex 29 - A Simple Tool for the Economic Evaluation of Thermal Energy Storages

ACTInternational audienceWithin the framework of IEA SHC Task 42 / ECES Annex 29, a simple tool for the economic evaluation of thermal energy storages has been developed and tested on various existing storages. On that account, the storage capacity costs (costs per installed storage capacity) of thermal energy storages have been evaluated via a Top-down and a Bottom-up approach. The Top-down approach follows the assumption that the costs of energy supplied by the storage should not exceed the costs of energy from the market. The maximum acceptable storage capacity costs depend on the interest rate assigned to the capital costs, the intended payback period of the user class (e.g. industry or building), the reference energy costs, and the annual number of storage cycles. The Bottom-up approach focuses on the realised storage capacity costs of existing storages. The economic evaluation via Top-down and Bottom-up approach is a valuable tool to make a rough estimate of the economic viability of an energy storage for a specific application. An important finding is that the annual number of storage cycles has the largest influence on the cost effectiveness. At present and with respect to the investigated storages, seasonal heat storage is only economical via large sensible hot water storages. Contrary, if the annual number of storage cycles is sufficiently high, all thermal energy storage technologies can become competitive. \textcopyright 2016 The Authors