Elucidating the role of negative parenting in the genetic v. environmental influences on adult psychopathic traits

BACKGROUND: Psychopathic traits involve interpersonal manipulation, callous affect, erratic lifestyle, and antisocial behavior. Though adult psychopathic traits emerge from both genetic and environmental risk, no studies have examined etiologic associations between adult psychopathic traits and experiences of parenting in childhood, or the extent to which parenting practices may impact the heritability of adult psychopathic traits using a genetically-informed design. METHODS: In total, 1842 adult twins from the community reported their current psychopathic traits and experiences of negative parenting during childhood. We fit bivariate genetic models to the data, decomposing the variance within, and the covariance between, psychopathic traits and perceived negative parenting into their genetic and environmental components. We then fit a genotype × environment interaction model to evaluate whether negative parenting moderated the etiology of psychopathic traits. RESULTS: Psychopathic traits were moderately heritable with substantial non-shared environmental influences. There were significant associations between perceived negative parenting and three of four psychopathy facets (interpersonal manipulation, erratic lifestyle, antisocial tendencies, but not callous affect). These associations were attributable to a common non-shared environmental pathway and not to overlapping genetic effects. Additionally, we found that primarily shared environmental influences were stronger on psychopathic traits for individuals with a history of greater negative parenting. CONCLUSIONS: Utilizing a genetically-informed design, we found that both genetic and non-shared environmental factors contribute to the emergence of psychopathic traits. Moreover, perceptions of negative parenting emerged as a clear environmental influence on the development of interpersonal, lifestyle, and antisocial features of psychopathy

Human polyomavirus JC replication and non-coding control region analysis in multiple sclerosis patients under natalizumab treatment

The occurrence of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) caused by Polyomavirus JC (JCV) in patients affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with natalizumab has raised concerns about the safety of this drug. In this study, we performed a JCV-specific quantitative PCR on biological samples collected at the enrollment (t0) and every 4 months (t1, t2, t3) for 1 year and in the second year of treatment (t4, t5). Then, specific PCR products for JCV NCCR and VP1 sequences were analyzed. Moreover, JCV-specific antibodies were assessed by STRATIFY JCV® in serum at t0 and t3. After 1 year of natalizumab treatment, results showed a significant association between patients with JC viruria and positive STRATIFY JCV® with respect to those patients with no JCV-specific antibodies (p=0.0006). Moreover, at t4 the JC viremia was prevalently observed rather than JC viruria (p=0.04). Regarding NCCR sequence analysis, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients STRATIFY JCV® positive at t3 and treated with 12 natalizumab infusions, NCCR sequencing revealed the presence of rearranged sequences. Finally, VP1 sequence analysis showed the prevalence of the genotypes 1A, 1B and 4. In conclusion, testing JC viruria seems to be useful to identify patients who harbor JCV with an undetectable specific humoral immune response. It may also be important to study the JCV NCCR rearrangements since they could generate neuro-invasive viral variants increasing the risk of PML onset

Qualidade do menu infantil em restaurantes de shoppings centers da cidade de São Paulo e da Baixada Santista

O consumo de alimentos fora do lar tem se tornado uma rotina para os brasileiros pela praticidade e a agilidade. Porém, isso se caracteriza pela maior ingestão de calorias, açúcares e gordura, o que pode aumentar o risco para desenvolvimento de doenças crônicas não transmissíveis. Diante deste cenário, o presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a qualidade dos menus infantis disponibilizados em restaurantes de shoppings centers do município de São Paulo e dos municípios de Santos, São Vicente, Praia Grande e Guarujá, na Baixada Santista. Para a seleção da amostra foram incluídos os restaurantes de 30% dos shoppings centers, de cada região da cidade de São Paulo, e de todos os shoppings da Baixada Santista. Foram pesquisados apenas aqueles que apresentaram o cardápio infantil e, após a coleta, considerado somente um restaurante por rede. Os dados foram coletados por meio de um formulário no Google Forms. Somente 30,3% dos estabelecimentos em São Paulo e 13,2% na Baixada Santista ofereciam a opção de menu infantil. As preparações proteicas e fritas foram as mais ofertadas nos cardápios infantis, a presença das hortaliças foi evidente na Baixada Santista, porém as porções são consideradas pequenas, sendo notável a baixa oferta de alimentos in natura e minimamente processados e os métodos de cocção mais utilizados foram cozidos, fritura e grelhados.  Os resultados obtidos demonstram que existe necessidade de um novo olhar no desenvolvimento de cardápios infantis, tendo em vista a alta demanda do consumo fora do lar e se adequarem às necessidades das crianças</jats:p

Elucidating the role of negative parenting in the genetic <i>v.</i> environmental influences on adult psychopathic traits

AbstractBackgroundPsychopathic traits involve interpersonal manipulation, callous affect, erratic lifestyle, and antisocial behavior. Though adult psychopathic traits emerge from both genetic and environmental risk, no studies have examined etiologic associations between adult psychopathic traits and experiences of parenting in childhood, or the extent to which parenting practices may impact the heritability of adult psychopathic traits using a genetically-informed design.MethodsIn total, 1842 adult twins from the community reported their current psychopathic traits and experiences of negative parenting during childhood. We fit bivariate genetic models to the data, decomposing the variance within, and the covariance between, psychopathic traits and perceived negative parenting into their genetic and environmental components. We then fit a genotype × environment interaction model to evaluate whether negative parenting moderated the etiology of psychopathic traits.ResultsPsychopathic traits were moderately heritable with substantial non-shared environmental influences. There were significant associations between perceived negative parenting and three of four psychopathy facets (interpersonal manipulation, erratic lifestyle, antisocial tendencies, but not callous affect). These associations were attributable to a common non-shared environmental pathway and not to overlapping genetic effects. Additionally, we found that primarily shared environmental influences were stronger on psychopathic traits for individuals with a history of greater negative parenting.ConclusionsUtilizing a genetically-informed design, we found that both genetic and non-shared environmental factors contribute to the emergence of psychopathic traits. Moreover, perceptions of negative parenting emerged as a clear environmental influence on the development of interpersonal, lifestyle, and antisocial features of psychopathy.</jats:sec

Main and interaction effects of childhood trauma and the MAOA uVNTR polymorphism on psychopathy

Psychopathy is characterized by callous affect, interpersonal manipulation, a deviant lifestyle, and antisocial behavior. Previous research has linked psychopathic traits to childhood trauma, but also to the upstream variable number tandem repeat (uVNTR) polymorphism of the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene. An interaction between childhood trauma and MAOA genotype has been associated with antisocial behavior, but so far little is known about interaction effects of childhood trauma and the MAOA uVNTR on psychopathy. In order to bridge this gap, we used data of 1531 male and 1265 female twins and their siblings from a Finnish community sample to estimate structural equation models. The psychopathy and childhood trauma constructs were conceptualized as bifactor models with one general and two orthogonal group factors. Data comprised self-reports on childhood trauma and psychopathic traits as well as MAOA uVNTR genotype. In both genders, childhood trauma was associated with the general factor that represents the overarching psychopathy construct, and with the group factor that captures social deviance, but not with the group factor capturing psychopathic core personality traits. Women with a low activity variant of the MAOA uVNTR reported slightly higher levels of psychopathy than those with a high activity allele, but only with respect to the general psychopathy factor. There was no evidence for an interaction effect between MAOA uVNTR genotype and childhood trauma on psychopathy in either gender. Our results suggest that psychopathy in general and social deviance in particular are associated with childhood trauma in men and women, and that psychopathic traits are subject to variation in the MAOA uVNTR genotype in women

Elucidating the role of negative parenting in the genetic v. environmental influences on adult psychopathic traits

Article states that though adult psychopathic traits emerge from both genetic and environmental risk, no studies have examined etiologic associations between adult psychopathic traits and experiences of parenting in childhood, or the extent to which parenting practices may impact the heritability of adult psychopathic traits using a genetically-informed design. Utilizing a genetically-informed design, the authors found that both genetic and non-shared environmental factors contribute to the emergence of psychopathic traits