Social intuition: behavioral and neurobiological considerations

Social intuition is instrumental in bringing about successful human interactions, yet its behavioral and neural underpinnings are still poorly understood. We focus in this article on the automatic, involuntary, nature of social intuition, rather than on higher-level cognitive and explicit Theory-of-Mind processes (which contribute to rendering social intuition meaningful in real-life situations). We argue that social-affective implicit learning plays a crucial role in establishing automatic social intuition. These implicit learning processes involve associations between the perception of other’s bodily articulations, concurrent events, and the consequences or outcomes in terms of subsequent actions, affective valences and visceral states. The traditional non-social implicit learning paradigms do not allow one to draw conclusions about the role of implicit learning processes in social intuition, as they lack these vital characteristics typically associated with human actions. We introduce a new implicit learning paradigm, which aims to fill these gaps. It targets agile, rapid, social-affective learning processes, involving cue contingencies with a relatively simple structure, unlike the very complex structures that underpin the traditional tasks. The paradigm features matching social and non-social versions, allowing direct comparison. Preliminary data suggest equal performance of TD (typically-developed) and ASC (autism spectrum conditions) groups on the non-social version, but impaired implicit learning in ASC on the social version. We hypothesize that this reflects an anomalous use of implicitly learned affective information in ASC when judging other people. We further argue that the mirror neuron mechanism (MNM), which is part of the Action Observation Network, forms an integral part of the neural substrate for social intuition. In particular as there are indications that the MNM supports action anticipation, and that implicitly learned information can trigger MNM activation, which both seem vital to a social intuition ability. The insights that can be derived from comparing the performances of TD and ASC individuals on (non)social implicit learning tasks, and the implications for the role of MNM activation, are discussed

Obesity prevalence from a European perspective: a systematic review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Obesity has been recognised as an important contributing factor in the development of various diseases, but comparative data on this condition are limited. We therefore aimed to identify and discuss current epidemiological data on the prevalence of obesity in European countries.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We identified relevant published studies by means of a MEDLINE search (1990–2008) supplemented by information obtained from regulatory agencies. We only included surveys that used direct measures of weight and height and were representative of each country's overall population.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In Europe, the prevalence of obesity (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m²) in men ranged from 4.0% to 28.3% and in women from 6.2% to 36.5%. We observed considerable geographic variation, with prevalence rates in Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe being higher than those in Western and Northern Europe.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In Europe, obesity has reached epidemic proportions. The data presented in our review emphasise the need for effective therapeutic and preventive strategies.</p

Derivatized versus non-derivatized LC-MS/MS techniques for the analysis of estrogens and estrogen-like endocrine disruptors in human plasma

Bisphenols, parabens, alkylphenols and triclosan are anthropogenic substances with a phenolic group that have been introduced to the environment in recent decades. As they possess hormone-like effects, they have been termed endocrine disruptors (EDs), and can interfere with steroid pathways in organisms. To evaluate the potential impact of EDs on steroid biosynthesis and metabolism, sensitive and robust methods enabling the concurrent measurement of EDs and steroids in plasma are needed. Of crucial importance is the analysis of unconjugated EDs, which possess biological activity. The aim of the study was to develop and validate LC-MS/MS methods with and without a derivatization step for the analysis of unconjugated steroids (estrone-E1, estradiol-E2, estriol-E3, aldosterone-ALDO) and different groups of EDs (bisphenols, parabens, nonylphenol-NP and triclosan-TCS), and compare these methods on a set of 24 human plasma samples using Passing-Bablok regression analysis. Both methods were validated according to FDA and EMA guidelines. The method with dansyl chloride derivatization allowed 17 compounds to be measured: estrogens (E1, E2, E3), bisphenols (bisphenol A-BPA, BPS, BPF, BPAF, BPAP, BPZ, BPP), parabens (methylparaben-MP, ethylparaben-EP, propylparaben-PP, butylparaben-BP, benzylparaben-BenzylP), TCS and NP, with lower limits of quantification (LLOQs) between 4 and 125 pg/mL. The method without derivatization enabled 15 compounds to be analyzed: estrogens (E1, E2, E3), ALDO, bisphenols (BPA, BPS, BPF, BPAF, BPAP, BPZ), parabens (MP, EP, PP, BP, BenzylP) with LLOQs between 2 and 63 pg/mL, and NP and BPP in semiquantitative mode. Adding 6 mM ammonium fluoride post column into mobile phases in the method without derivatization achieved similar or even better LLOQs than the method with the derivatization step. The uniqueness of the methods lies in the simultaneous determination of different classes of unconjugated (bioactive) fraction of EDs together with selected steroids (estrogens + ALDO in the method without derivatization), which provides a useful tool for evaluating the relationships between EDs and steroid metabolism

Psychosocial factors of coronary heart disease and quality of life among Roma coronary patients: a study matched by socioeconomic position

The aim of this study was to assess whether psychosocial factors and health-related quality of life (HRQL) differ between Roma and non-Roma coronary patients and to what degree socioeconomic status (SES) explains these differences. We included 138 patients out of 437 interviewed: 46 Roma, all with low SES, 46 non-Roma with low SES, and 46 non-Roma with high SES. Groups were matched for age, gender and education. The GHQ-28 was used for measuring psychological well-being, the Maastricht interview for vital exhaustion, the type D questionnaire and the Cook-Medley scale for personality and the SF-36 for HRQL. SES was indicated by income and education, and disease severity by ejection fraction. ANOVA and linear regression were used. Roma scored poorly compared to non-Roma in psychological well-being, vital exhaustion and HRQL (p a parts per thousand currency sign 0.001); however, these differences could be to a substantial extent explained by SES. With regard to personality traits, ethnicity and SES played a less significant role. The adverse quality of life among Roma coronary patients may warrant additional care, which should target their low SES but also other factors related to their ethnic background, such as culture and living conditions