The influence of emotion clarity on emotional prosody identification in paranoid schizophrenia

Background Identification of emotional facial expression and emotional prosody (i.e. speech melody) is often impaired in schizophrenia. For facial emotion identification, a recent study suggested that the relative deficit in schizophrenia is enhanced when the presented emotion is easier to recognize. It is unclear whether this effect is specific to face processing or part of a more general emotion recognition deficit. Method We used clarity-graded emotional prosodic stimuli without semantic content, and tested 25 in-patients with paranoid schizophrenia, 25 healthy control participants and 25 depressive in-patients on emotional prosody identification. Facial expression identification was used as a control task. Results Patients with paranoid schizophrenia performed worse than both control groups in identifying emotional prosody, with no specific deficit in any individual emotion category. This deficit was present in high-clarity but not in low-clarity stimuli. Performance in facial control tasks was also impaired, with identification of emotional facial expression being a better predictor of emotional prosody identification than illness-related factors. Of those, negative symptoms emerged as the best predictor for emotional prosody identification. Conclusions This study suggests a general deficit in identifying high-clarity emotional cues. This finding is in line with the hypothesis that schizophrenia is characterized by high noise in internal representations and by increased fluctuations in cerebral network

Morbus Darier und Depression - besteht eine genetische Verbindung?: Übersicht und klinischer Fall

Zusammenfassung: Der Morbus Darier ist eine seltene Hauterkrankung, die autosomal-dominant vererbt wird und durch eine Mutation im SERCA (sarco/endoplasmatic reticulum calcium transporter)-2-Gen verursacht wird. In einigen Stammbäumen ist das Auftreten des Morbus Darier eng mit dem Vorkommen affektiver Erkrankungen verknüpft. Die wahrscheinlichste Ursache ist ein Suszeptibilitätsgen für affektive Erkrankungen in der Nähe des SERCA-2-Gens. Als Suszeptibilitätslokus konnte eine 6,5-Mb-Region identifiziert werden. Auch Studien mit affektiv erkrankten Stichproben, die nicht an Morbus Darier leiden, weisen ein Signal in der gleichen Region auf. Das zugrunde liegende Gen ist jedoch noch nicht identifizier

Is attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder among men associated with initiation or escalation of substance use at 15-month follow-up? A longitudinal study involving young Swiss men.

Young adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show higher substance use disorder (SUD) prevalence relative to non-ADHD controls; few longitudinal studies have examined the course of substance use with reference to conduct disorder (CD). We compared initiation and escalation of substance use at 15-month follow-up in men screened positive or negative for ADHD (ADHD(+) versus ADHD(-) ), controlling for CD presence in early adolescence. Participants were recruited during August 2010 and November 2011 from the census of all young men who have to pass mandatory army conscription from three of six Swiss Army recruitment centres. A two-wave data collection was performed via questionnaires at baseline and 15-month follow-up as a part of the longitudinal Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors. Recruitment centres in Lausanne, Windisch and Mels, responsible for 21 cantons in German- and French-speaking areas of Switzerland. Consecutive sample of 5103 male Swiss Army conscripts who provided informed consent and responded to questionnaires at baseline and 15-month follow-up. Their mean age was 20.0 (standard deviation = 1.21) years at baseline. ADHD and CD were assessed using the adult ADHD Self-Report Scale and the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview Plus, respectively, at baseline, and substance use was measured via self-administered substance use questionnaires at baseline and follow-up. Compared with the ADHD(-) group, the ADHD(+) group (n = 215, 4.2%) showed heavier baseline substance use and increased likelihood of alcohol (χ(2)  = 53.96; P < 0.001), tobacco (χ(2)  = 21.73; P < 0.001) and cannabis use disorders (χ(2)  = 48.43; P < 0.001). The extent of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use in the two groups remained stable from baseline to follow-up (no escalation). The ADHD(+) group was more likely to initiate substance use compared with the ADHD(-) group (higher initiation rates), particularly with amphetamines [odds ratio (OR) = 3.81; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.20-6.60; P < 0.001] and non-medical use of ADHD medication (OR = 4.45; 95% CI = 2.06-9.60; P < 0.001). CD was associated with initiation of substance use but did not mediate the associations between ADHD and substance use, revealing that the impact of ADHD on substance use was independent of CD. For men in their early 20s, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a risk factor for continued heavier but not escalating use of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis when already consuming these substances, compared with young men with no ADHD. It is also a risk factor for initiating the use of cannabis, stimulants, hallucinogens and sedatives, independent of conduct disorder in early adolescence

Sex Differences in Semantic Processing: Event-Related Brain Potentials Distinguish between Lower and Higher Order Semantic Analysis during Word Reading

Behavioral studies suggest that women and men differ in the strategic elaboration of verbally encoded information especially in the absence of external task demand. However, measuring such covert processing requires other than behavioral data. The present study used event-related potentials to compare sexes in lower and higher order semantic processing during the passive reading of semantically related and unrelated word pairs. Women and men showed the same early context effect in the P1-N1 transition period. This finding indicates that the initial lexical-semantic access is similar in men and women. In contrast, sexes differed in higher order semantic processing. Women showed an earlier and longer lasting context effect in the N400 accompanied by larger signal strength in temporal networks similarly recruited by men and women. The results suggest that women spontaneously conduct a deeper semantic analysis. This leads to faster processing of related words in the active neural networks as reflected in a shorter stability of the N400 map in women. Taken together, the findings demonstrate that there is a selective sex difference in the controlled semantic analysis during passive word reading that is not reflected in different functional organization but in the depth of processin

Comparison of laser Doppler flowmetry and thermometry in the postoperative monitoring of replantations

Reliable postoperative monitoring in microvascular surgery is necessary to improve the success rate of reexplorations following vascular compromise. Surface thermometry is known as an easy and inexpensive objective postoperative monitor and therefore is used by many microsurgeons. Reliability, however, is not satisfactory, and therefore several other instrumental methods have been tested of which laser Doppler flowmetry shows the most promising results. This study compared laser Doppler flowmetry to thermometry in the postoperative monitoring after replantation surgery. In 34 patients, 45 replantations and revascularizations were monitored by laser Doppler flowmetry and thermometry. A reliable alarm value of 10 PU was defined for replantations and revascularizations, with a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 94%. Thermometry showed a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 86% at 29°C

Profiling of metalloprotease activities in cerebrospinal fluids of patients with neoplastic meningitis

Background: Neoplastic invasion into leptomeninges and subarachnoid space, resulting in neoplastic meningitis (NM) is a fatal complication of advanced solid and hematological neoplasms. Identification of malignant involvement of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) early in the disease course has crucial prognostic and therapeutic implications, but remains challenging. As indicators of extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation and breakdown of the blood–brain-barrier, Matrix Metalloproteases (MMPs) and A Disintegrin and Metalloproteases (ADAMs) are potential analytes for cerebral pathophysiology and metastatic dissemination of tumor cells into the CSF. Methods: We compared protease activities in CSF samples from patients with NM and control individuals using FRET-based metalloprotease substrates with distinct enzyme selectivity profiles in a real-time, multiplex approach termed “proteolytic activity matrix assay” (PrAMA). Protease activity dynamics can be tracked by fluorescence changes over time. By simultaneously monitoring a panel of 5 FRET-substrate cleavages, a proteolytic signature can be identified and analyzed to infer the activities of multiple specific proteases. Distinct patterns of substrate cleavage comparing disease vs. control samples allow rapid, reproducible and sensitive discrimination even in small volumes of CSF. Results: Individual substrate cleavage rates were linked to distinct proteases, and PrAMA computational inference implied increased activities of MMP-9, ADAM8 and ADAM17 (4–5-fold on average) in CSF samples from NM patients that were inhibitable by the metalloprotease inhibitor batimastat (BB-94). The activities of these proteases correlated with blood–brain barrier impairment. Notably, CSF cell counts were not found to directly reflect the protease activities observed in CSF samples from NM patients; this may explain the frequent clinical observation of negative cytology in NM patients. Conclusion: PrAMA analysis of CSF samples is a potential diagnostic method for sensitive detection of NM and may be suitable for the clinical routine. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12987-017-0070-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Costs of Establishing Organic Northern Highbush Blueberry: Impacts of Planting Method, Fertilization, and Mulch Type

A systems trial was established to evaluate factorial management practices for organic production of northern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.). The practices included: flat and raised planting beds; feather meal and fish emulsion fertilizer applied at 29 and 57 kg·ha⁻¹of nitrogen (N); sawdust mulch, compost topped with sawdust mulch (compost + sawdust), or weed mat; and two cultivars, Duke and Liberty. The planting was established in Oct. 2006 and was certified organic in 2008. Weeds were managed by hand-hoeing or pulling in sawdust and weed mat-mulched plots and a combination of hand-pulling, propane-flaming, and post-emergent, targeted applications of acetic acid or lemon grass oil to any weeds present in the compost + sawdust plots depending on year. Data were recorded on input costs and returns in Year 0 (establishment year) through Year 3. Plants were harvested beginning the second year after planting. Planting costs were $741/ha higher on raised beds than on the flat, but the higher costs were more than offset by an average of 63$2861/ha. Cumulative net returns after 3 years were negative and ranged from –$32,967 to –$50,352/ha when grown on raised beds and from –$34,320 to –$52,848/ha when grown on flat beds, depending on cultivar, mulch, and fertilizer rate and source. The greatest yields were obtained in plants fertilized with the low rate of fish emulsion or the high rate of feather meal, but fertilizing with fish emulsion by hand cost (materials and labor) as much as $5066/ha more than feather meal. Higher costs of establishment and pruning for ‘Liberty’ compared with ‘Duke’ were offset by higher net returns in all treatment combinations, except feather meal fertilizer with either weed mat or compost + sawdust mulch. Mulch type affected establishment costs, weed presence, and weed management costs, which included product and labor costs for application of herbicides (acetic acid and lemon grass oil) as well as labor for hand-weeding as needed, depending on the treatment. The highest yielding treatment combinations (growing on raised beds mulched with compost + sawdust and fertilized with fish emulsion) improved cumulative net returns as much as$19,333/ha over 3 years.This is a scanned version of a published article. The original can be found at: http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/Keywords: Fish emulsion, Sawdust, Feather meal, Compost, Economics, Weed mat, Vaccinium corymbosum, Cost of production, Landscape fabri

A novel diagnostic aid for intra-abdominal adhesion detection in cine-MR imaging: Pilot study and initial diagnostic impressions

OBJECTIVES: A non-invasive diagnostic technique for abdominal adhesions is not currently available. Capture of abdominal motion due to respiration in cine-MRI has shown promise, but is difficult to interpret. This article explores the value of a complimentary diagnostic aid to facilitate the non-invasive detection of abdominal adhesions using cine-MRI. METHOD: An image processing technique was developed to quantify the amount of sliding that occurs between the organs of the abdomen and the abdominal wall in sagittal cine-MRI slices. The technique produces a 'sheargram' which depicts the amount of sliding which has occurred over 1-3 respiratory cycles. A retrospective cohort of 52 patients, scanned for suspected adhesions, made 281 cine-MRI sagittal slices available for processing. The resulting sheargrams were reported by two operators and compared to expert clinical judgement of the cine-MRI scans. RESULTS: The sheargram matched clinical judgement in 84% of all sagittal slices and 93-96% of positive adhesions were identified on the sheargram. The sheargram displayed a slight skew towards sensitivity over specificity, with a high positive adhesion detection rate but at the expense of false positives. CONCLUSIONS: Good correlation between sheargram and absence/presence of inferred adhesions indicates quantification of sliding motion has potential to aid adhesion detection in cine-MRI. Advances in Knowledge: This is the first attempt to clinically evaluate a novel image processing technique quantifying the sliding motion of the abdominal contents against the abdominal wall. The results of this pilot study reveal its potential as a diagnostic aid for detection of abdominal adhesions