INTERPERSONAL HEART-BRAIN REGISTRATION AND THE PERCEPTION OF PARENTAL LOVE: A 42 YEAR FOLLOW-UP OF THE HARVARD MASTERY OF STRESS STUDY

A dynamical energy systems approach to cardiac energy predicts that the registration of cardiac energy can occur between individuals, and that the degree of registration may be greater in persons who are more open to interpersonal information. As part of a 42 year follow-up to the Harvard Mastery of Stress study, 19 channels of EEG and the ECG were recorded during a 2 minute eyes closed resting baseline from 20 Harvard graduates currently in their 60's and from an experimenter who sat 3 feet in front of the subjects. Cardiac synchronized energy patterns were calculated in the subjects' EEGs separately triggered by the subjects' ECG and the experimenter's ECG. When the subjects' own ECG was used as the trigger, significant evidence of the subjects' ECG in the subjects' EEG was found, primarily in the posterior regions. When the experimenter's ECG was used as the trigger, significant evidence of the experimenter's ECG in the subjects' EEG was found, primarily in anterior regions, in subjects who rated themselves in college as having been raised by loving parents. These subjects were also significantly healthier in late adulthood than subjects who rated their parents "low in loving." Implications for theory and research in energy medicine are considered

INTERPERSONAL HAND-ENERGY REGISTRATION: EVIDENCE FOR IMPLICIT PERFORMANCE AND PERCEPTION

Treatments such as Non-Contact Therapeutic Touch are based on the hypothesis that the hands can send and receive energy and information. From a dynamical energy systems perspective, the hands can be viewed as rich generators of complex patterns of biophysical energy and information, including electrostatic movement effects, electromagnetic potentials (muscular, cardiac, skin potentials, etc.), and temperature (e.g. infrared). Two experiments (n = 20 and n = 41) were conducted to determine whether blindfolded subjects could detect the presence of an menter's hand placed a few inches above one of their hands. A 2 x 2 within subject counterbalanced design (left and right subject's hands by left and right experimenter's hands) was employed. The average correct detections was 66% (chance = 50%, P < .00001). Subject's average estimate of their performance was 54%. Poor and low performance subjects correctly estimated their actual performance, whereas medium and high performance subjects seriously underestimated their performance. However, even for subjects who performed at or below chance, their ratings of confidence per trial were significantly higher for correct versus incorrect trials, suggesting that they had implicit perception of hand-energy. Subjects who spontaneously reported some awareness of temperature (but not tingling or pressure) reported higher overall estimates of performance. Implications for future research on interpersonal hand-energy registration are considered

El desafío de una medicina: teorías de la salud y ocho “Hipótesis del Mundo”

Los autores abordan el desafío de integrar la medicina convencional, la medicina psicosomática, y la medicina alternativa, necesario, según señalan, no sólo por razones clínicas  y económicas, sino por el desafío de crear una teoría comprehensiva que integre la riqueza de datos aparentemente disparatados y teorías de la salud y la enfermedad en un todo organizado. Se trata de llegar a una medicina integrada. En este trabajo los autores identifican ocho visiones fundacionales sobre la naturaleza, cada una de las cuales genera hipótesis diferentes acerca de la naturaleza y de la medicina, y han conducido a tres diferentes conceptos de medicina. El artículo aborda cómo el conocimiento de tales hipótesis puede alcanzar el objetivo de integrar la medicina.Les auteurs abordent le défi d’intégrer la médecine conventionnelle, la médecine psychosomatique et la médecine alternative, nécessaire, soulignent-ils, non seulement pour des raisons cliniques et économiques, mais aussi quant au défi de créer une théorie compréhensive qui intègre la richesse de données apparemment disparates et les théories de la santé et de la maladie dans un tout organisé. Il s’agit de parvenir à une médecine intégrée. Dans ce travail les auteurs identifient huit visions constitutives sur la nature, chacune d’entre elles générant différentes hypothèses sur la nature et la médecine, et qui ont conduit à trois concepts distincts de médecine. L’article traite de la manière dont la connaissance de telles hypothèses peut atteindre l’objectif d’intégrer la médecine.The authors address the challenge of integrating conventional medicine, psychosomatic medicine and alternative medicine; necessary, as they say, not only for clinical and economic reasons, but for the challenge of creating a comprehensive theory that integrates the richness of data seemingly disparate and theories of health and disease in an organized whole. It is about reaching an integrated medicine. In this paper the authors identify eight founding visions of nature, each of which generates different hypotheses about nature and medicine, and that have led to three different concepts of medicine. The article discusses how the knowledge of these hypotheses can help to the goal of integrating medicine

El desafío de una medicina: teorías de la salud y ocho “Hipótesis del Mundo”

Los autores abordan el desafío de integrar la medicina convencional, la medicina psicosomática, y la medicina alternativa, necesario, según señalan, no sólo por razones clínicas  y económicas, sino por el desafío de crear una teoría comprehensiva que integre la riqueza de datos aparentemente disparatados y teorías de la salud y la enfermedad en un todo organizado. Se trata de llegar a una medicina integrada. En este trabajo los autores identifican ocho visiones fundacionales sobre la naturaleza, cada una de las cuales genera hipótesis diferentes acerca de la naturaleza y de la medicina, y han conducido a tres diferentes conceptos de medicina. El artículo aborda cómo el conocimiento de tales hipótesis puede alcanzar el objetivo de integrar la medicina.Les auteurs abordent le défi d’intégrer la médecine conventionnelle, la médecine psychosomatique et la médecine alternative, nécessaire, soulignent-ils, non seulement pour des raisons cliniques et économiques, mais aussi quant au défi de créer une théorie compréhensive qui intègre la richesse de données apparemment disparates et les théories de la santé et de la maladie dans un tout organisé. Il s’agit de parvenir à une médecine intégrée. Dans ce travail les auteurs identifient huit visions constitutives sur la nature, chacune d’entre elles générant différentes hypothèses sur la nature et la médecine, et qui ont conduit à trois concepts distincts de médecine. L’article traite de la manière dont la connaissance de telles hypothèses peut atteindre l’objectif d’intégrer la médecine.The authors address the challenge of integrating conventional medicine, psychosomatic medicine and alternative medicine; necessary, as they say, not only for clinical and economic reasons, but for the challenge of creating a comprehensive theory that integrates the richness of data seemingly disparate and theories of health and disease in an organized whole. It is about reaching an integrated medicine. In this paper the authors identify eight founding visions of nature, each of which generates different hypotheses about nature and medicine, and that have led to three different concepts of medicine. The article discusses how the knowledge of these hypotheses can help to the goal of integrating medicine

Ochratoxin A: In Utero Exposure in Mice Induces Adducts in Testicular DNA

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a nephrotoxin and carcinogen that is associated with Balkan endemic nephropathy and urinary tract tumors. OTA crosses the placenta and causes adducts in the liver and kidney DNA of newborns. Because the testis and kidney develop from the same embryonic tissue, we reasoned that OTA also may cause adducts transplacentally in the testis. We tested the hypothesis that acute exposure to OTA, via food and via exposure in utero, causes adducts in testicular DNA and that these lesions are identical to those that can be produced in the kidney and testis by the consumption of OTA. Adult mice received a single dose of OTA (from 0–1,056 µg/kg) by gavage. Pregnant mice received a single i.p. injection of OTA (2.5 mg/kg) at gestation day 17. DNA adducts were determined by 32P-postlabeling. Gavage-fed animals sacrificed after 48 hours accumulated OTA in kidney and testis and showed DNA adducts in kidney and testis. Some OTA metabolites isolated from the tissues were similar in both organs (kidney and testis). The litters of mice exposed prenatally to OTA showed no signs of overt toxicity. However, newborn and 1-month old males had DNA adducts in kidney and testis that were chromatographically similar to DNA adducts observed in the kidney and testis of gavage-fed adults. One adduct was identified previously as C8-dG-OTA adduct by LC MS/MS. No adducts were observed in males from dams not exposed to OTA. Our findings that in utero exposure to OTA causes adducts in the testicular DNA of male offspring support a possible role for OTA in testicular cancer

Tumor‐stroma interactions differentially alter drug sensitivity based on the origin of stromal cells

Due to tumor heterogeneity, most believe that effective treatments should be tailored to the features of an individual tumor or tumor subclass. It is still unclear, however, what information should be considered for optimal disease stratification, and most prior work focuses on tumor genomics. Here, we focus on the tumor microenvironment. Using a large‐scale coculture assay optimized to measure drug‐induced cell death, we identify tumor–stroma interactions that modulate drug sensitivity. Our data show that the chemo‐insensitivity typically associated with aggressive subtypes of breast cancer is not observed if these cells are grown in 2D or 3D monoculture, but is manifested when these cells are cocultured with stromal cells, such as fibroblasts. Furthermore, we find that fibroblasts influence drug responses in two distinct and divergent manners, associated with the tissue from which the fibroblasts were harvested. These divergent phenotypes occur regardless of the drug tested and result from modulation of apoptotic priming within tumor cells. Our study highlights unexpected diversity in tumor–stroma interactions, and we reveal new principles that dictate how fibroblasts alter tumor drug responses

Human interaction with the divine, the sacred, and the deceased: topics that warrant increased attention by psychologists

Humans have likely been attempting to communicate with entities believed to exist, such as the divine, sacred beings, and deceased people, since the dawn of time. Across cultures and countries, many believe that interaction with the immaterial world is not only possible but a frequent experience. Most religious traditions across the globe focus many rituals and activities around prayer to an entity deemed divine or sacred. Additionally, many people–religious, agnostic, and atheists alike–report communication with their departed loved ones. During highly stressful times associated with natural disasters, war, pandemics, and other threats to human life, the frequency and intensity of these activities and associated experiences substantially increase. Although this very human phenomenon seems to be universal, the empirical literature on the topic within psychology is thin. This paper discussed the topic and reviews what we know from the professional literature about how people perceive communication with these unseen entities. It highlights the perceptual and social cognition evidence and discussed the role of attribution theory, which might help us understand the beliefs, motivations, and practices of those engaged with communication with the unseen. Empirical laboratory research with mediums is discussed as well, examining the evidence for communication with the deceased. Final reflections and suggestions for future research are also offered

Autophagy in Myf5+ progenitors regulates energy and glucose homeostasis through control of brown fat and skeletal muscle development

Macroautophagy (MA) regulates cellular quality control and energy balance. For example, loss of MA in aP2-positive adipocytes converts white adipose tissue (WAT) into brown adipose tissue (BAT)-like, enhancing BAT function and thereby insulin sensitivity. However, whether MA regulates early BAT development is unknown. We report that deleting Atg7 in myogenic Myf5+ progenitors inhibits MA in Myf5-cell-derived BAT and muscle. Knock out (KO) mice have defective BAT differentiation and function. Surprisingly, their body temperature is higher due to WAT lipolysis-driven increases in fatty acid oxidation in 'Beige' cells in inguinal WAT, BAT and muscle. KO mice also present impaired muscle differentiation, reduced muscle mass and glucose intolerance. Our studies show that ATG7 in Myf5+ progenitors is required to maintain energy and glucose homeostasis through effects on BAT and muscle development. Decreased MA in myogenic progenitors with age and/or overnutrition might contribute to the metabolic defects and sarcopenia observed in these conditions