Claudins in lung diseases

Tight junctions are the most apically localized part of the epithelial junctional complex. They regulate the permeability and polarity of cell layers and create compartments in cell membranes. Claudins are structural molecules of tight junctions. There are 27 claudins known, and expression of different claudins is responsible for changes in the electrolyte and solute permeability in cells layers. Studies have shown that claudins and tight junctions also protect multicellular organisms from infections and that some infectious agents may use claudins as targets to invade and weaken the host's defense. In neoplastic diseases, claudin expression may be up- or downregulated. Since their expression is associated with specific tumor types or with specific locations of tumors to a certain degree, they can, in a restricted sense, also be used as tumor markers. However, the regulation of claudin expression is complex involving growth factors and integrins, protein kinases, proto-oncogens and transcription factors. In this review, the significance of claudins is discussed in lung disease and development

The bodily social self: a link between phenomenal and narrative selfhood

The Phenomenal Self (PS) is widely considered to be dependent on body representations, whereas the Narrative Self (NS) is generally thought to rely on abstract cognitive representations. The concept of the Bodily Social Self (BSS) might play an important role in explaining how the high level cognitive self-representations enabling the NS might emerge from the bodily basis of the PS. First, the phenomenal self (PS) and narrative self (NS), are briefly examined. Next, the BSS is defined and its potential for explaining aspects of social cognition is explored. The minimal requirements for a BSS are considered, before reviewing empirical evidence regarding the development of the BSS over the first year of life. Finally, evidence on the involvement of the body in social distinctions between self and other is reviewed to illustrate how the BSS is affected by both the bottom up effects of multisensory stimulation and the top down effects of social identification

Practices in Forensic Neuropsychology: Perspectives of Neuropsychologists and Trial Attorneys

Abstract: Sixty-six members of the National Academy of Neuropsychology and 52 members of the American Trial Lawyers Association responded to a survey concerning current practices in forensic neuropsychology. Ninety percent of responding neuropsychologists and 94% of attorneys indicated that up to one half of their practices involve personal injury evaluations. The majority of neuropsychologists (88%) and attorneys (75%) reported that attorneys never observe neuropsychological testing. The typical (32%) neuropsychologist releases raw data in only one quarter or less of their forensic cases, but the modal attorney (44%) reported receiving raw data in almost all brain injury cases. While only 17% of neuropsychologists indicated that in the majority of their forensic cases, they informed attorneys of the tests to be administered, 41% of attorneys reported that they are provided this information in most cases. Almost half of responding neuropsychologists (47%) reported that they have been informed by attorneys of what findings would be most beneficial to their clients while 87% of attorneys deny that this ever takes place. 85% of neuropsychologists indicated that they are never required by attorneys to conduct neuropsychological testing themselves, but more than one third (37%) of attorneys stated that they almost always make this request. The most commonly used payment arrangement in personal injury cases is periodic billing. The modal neuropsychologist (26%) charges $126 to$150/hour for assessments and more than $200/hour for testimony. The majority of attorneys (62%) indicated that they retain neuropsychological experts in most of their brain injury cases. Attorneys reported that they typically locate experts by referral from other attorneys (58%) and health care professionals (56%). In addition to conducting assessments, preparing reports, and providing testimony, many attorneys ask their neuropsychological experts to help them prepare for cross-examination of the opposition\u27s expert (77%) and to provide information to be used to prepare plaintiffs for their neuropsychological examinations (38%). Fewer neuropsychologists than attorneys acknowledged that they are asked to perform these latter two tasks (58% and 12%, respectively). Most attorneys (88%) consider board certification an important criterion in selecting an expert. Lawyers typically spend up to an hour preparing their clients for neuropsychological evaluations (37%) and commonly cover test content (21%), detection of malingering (19%), and brain injury symptoms (19%). Twenty-nine percent of attorneys reported that they educate their clients about the MMPI-2, a measure administered by 77% of neuropsychologists. Areas of agreement and divergence between the groups were identified and addressed. Ethical issues raised by identified practices were examined

Body Image: A Cognitive Self-Schema Construct?

Body image has been a useful construct for understanding eating disorders. In that capacity, body image has been defined in many ways: One concept of body image is as an internalized view of one\u27s appearance that drives behavior and influences information processing. This cognitive schema definition of body image was tested in a series of studies. Other recent studies have investigated cognitive processes with body image information, but they have focused on weight-related body image. A combination of Higgins\u27 self-discrepancy theory and Markus\u27 self-schema theory were used to describe a modern interpretation of body image as an internalized self-representation. Both of these theories predict specific information processing consequences of an organized cognitive representation. In turn, these consequences confirm the existence of that representation. Several studies were conducted to test a specific schema-like view of body image. In Study 1 body image schema variables were correlated with traditional measures of body image. In Study 2 subjects exposed to schema relevant contents showed information processing consequences consistent with self-representation theory. Finally, in Study 3 instructional set was shown to modify the schema activation effect. These effects give evidence of body image schema and yield limited information about the nature of that representation