Der schmale Grat zwischen Mondo- und Essayfilm : Killing of America von Sheldon Renan und Leonard Schrader

Während der Achtziger Jahre in den USA war der Traum vom großen Geld für viele zum Greifen nah. Diese Wunschvorstellung zerplatzte allerdings an der wirtschaftlichen Lage. Es war „ein Jahrzehnt in dem der Yuppie-Wahn und die unzähligen Aufstiegsträume in der Rezession zerkrachten. Man fühlte sich sozial und wirtschaftlich höchst verunsichert.“ Der Autor Bret Easton Ellis beschreibt die Lage der Nation anhand eines Individuums in seinem Roman American Psycho. Die Hauptfigur des Buches mit dem Namen Patrick Bateman ist Bestandteil der in diesem Jahrzehnt aufkommenden Yuppie-Kultur. Niemand erkennt, dass sich hinter dieser wirtschaftlich erfolgreichen Person ein Serienmörder verbirgt. Der Protagonist mit zutiefst antagonistischen Zügen beschreibt sich selbst folgendermaßen: „Mein Ich ist künstlich, eine Anomalie. Ich bin ein unkontingentes menschliches Wesen. Meine Persönlichkeit ist rudimentär und ungeformt, meine Herzlosigkeit geht tief und ist gefestigt[…] Niemand ist sicher, nichts ist gesühnt.“ Diese Erkenntnis spiegelt die gewinnorientierte und gefühlskalte Mentalität der amerikanischen Gesellschaft in jener Zeit wider. Gleichzeitig beschreibt sie die heillose Suche der Amerikaner nach Sicherheit. Bateman verkörpert den amerikanischen Drang nach Freiheit und Erfolg, er geht dafür sogar über Leichen

Licht und Schatten : La Maschera del Demonio und I tre volti della Paura von Mario Bava

Die Filme von Mario Bava wurden über einen langen Zeitraum hinweg übersehen. Er ist vor allem ein Filmemacher, der von anderen Regisseuren geschätzt wird. So beschreiben zum Beispiel Künstler wie Martin Scorsese, John Carpenter, Joe Dante, Dario Argento oder auch Tim Burton, Bava als einen großen Einfluß für ihre Filme. Erst in den letzten Jahren, durch das digitale Medium der DVD, sind Bavas Filme wieder der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Immer mehr Werke des italienischen Filmemachers gelangen an die Oberfläche und machen den immensen Einfluß seiner Filme auf das Horrorgenre offensichtlich

The structural organization and protein composition of lens fiber junctions.

The structural organization and protein composition of lens fiber junctions isolated from adult bovine and calf lenses were studied using combined electron microscopy, immunolocalization with monoclonal and polyclonal anti-MIP and anti-MP70 (two putative gap junction-forming proteins), and freeze-fracture and label-fracture methods. The major intrinsic protein of lens plasma membranes (MIP) was localized in single membranes and in an extensive network of junctions having flat and undulating surface topologies. In wavy junctions, polyclonal and monoclonal anti-MIPs labeled only the cytoplasmic surface of the convex membrane of the junction. Label-fracture experiments demonstrated that the convex membrane contained MIP arranged in tetragonal arrays 6-7 nm in unit cell dimension. The apposing concave membrane of the junction displayed fracture faces without intramembrane particles or pits. Therefore, wavy junctions are asymmetric structures composed of MIP crystals abutted against particle-free membranes. In thin junctions, anti-MIP labeled the cytoplasmic surfaces of both apposing membranes with varying degrees of asymmetry. In thin junctions, MIP was found organized in both small clusters and single membranes. These small clusters also abut against particle-free apposing membranes, probably in a staggered or checkerboard pattern. Thus, the structure of thin and wavy junctions differed only in the extent of crystallization of MIP, a property that can explain why this protein can produce two different antibody-labeling patterns. A conclusion of this study is that wavy and thin junctions do not contain coaxially aligned channels, and, in these junctions, MIP is unlikely to form gap junction-like channels. We suggest MIP may behave as an intercellular adhesion protein which can also act as a volume-regulating channel to collapse the lens extracellular space. Junctions constructed of MP70 have a wider overall thickness (18-20 nm) and are abundant in the cortical regions of the lens. A monoclonal antibody raised against this protein labeled these thicker junctions on the cytoplasmic surfaces of both apposing membranes. Thick junctions also contained isolated clusters of MIP inside the plaques of MP70. The role of thick junctions in lens physiology remains to be determined

Enhanced Priming for Trauma-Related Words Predicts Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

There is preliminary evidence that enhanced priming for trauma-related cues plays a role in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A prospective study of 119 motor vehicle accident survivors investigated whether priming for trauma-related stimuli predicts PTSD. Participants completed a modified word-stem completion test comprising accident-related, traffic-related, general threat, and neutral words at 2 weeks post-trauma. Priming for accident-related words predicted PTSD at 6 months follow-up, even when initial symptom levels of PTSD and depression and priming for other words were controlled. The results are in line with the hypothesis that enhanced priming for traumatic material contributes to the development of chronic PTSD

A nongenomic mechanism for progesterone-mediated immunosuppression: Inhibition of K+ channels, Ca2+ signaling, and gene expression in T lymphocytes

The mechanism by which progesterone causes localized suppression of the immune response during pregnancy has remained elusive. Using human T lymphocytes and T cell lines, we show that progesterone, at concentrations found in the placenta, rapidly and reversibly blocks voltage-gated and calcium-activated K+ channels (KV and KCa, respectively), resulting in depolarization of the membrane potential. As a result, Ca2+ signaling and nuclear factor of activated T cells (NF-AT)-driven gene expression are inhibited. Progesterone acts distally to the initial steps of T cell receptor (TCR)-mediated signal transduction, since it blocks sustained Ca2+ signals after thapsigargin stimulation, as well as oscillatory Ca2+ signals, but not the Ca2+ transient after TCR stimulation. K+ channel blockade by progesterone is specific; other steroid hormones had little or no effect, although the progesterone antagonist RU 486 also blocked KV and KCa channels. Progesterone effectively blocked a broad spectrum of K+ channels, reducing both Kv1.3 and charybdotoxin-resistant components of KV current and KCa current in T cells, as well as blocking several cloned KV channels expressed in cell lines. Progesterone had little or no effect on a cloned voltage-gated Na+ channel, an inward rectifier K+ channel, or on lymphocyte Ca2+ and Cl- channels. We propose that direct inhibition of K+ channels in T cells by progesterone contributes to progesterone-induced immunosuppression

Do Cognitive Models Help in Predicting the Severity of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Phobia, and Depression After Motor Vehicle Accidents? A Prospective Longitudinal Study

The study investigated the power of theoretically derived cognitive variables to predict posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), travel phobia, and depression following injury in a motor vehicle accident (MVA). MVA survivors (N = 147) were assessed at the emergency department on the day of their accident and 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months later. Diagnoses were established with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM–IV. Predictors included initial symptom severities; variables established as predictors of PTSD in E. J. Ozer, S. R. Best, T. L. Lipsey, and D. S. Weiss's (2003) meta-analysis; and variables derived from cognitive models of PTSD, phobia, and depression. Results of nonparametric multiple regression analyses showed that the cognitive variables predicted subsequent PTSD and depression severities over and above what could be predicted from initial symptom levels. They also showed greater predictive power than the established predictors, although the latter showed similar effect sizes as in the meta-analysis. In addition, the predictors derived from cognitive models of PTSD and depression were disorder-specific. The results support the role of cognitive factors in the maintenance of emotional disorders following trauma

Emotional suppression and well-being in immigrants and majority group members in the Netherlands

We were interested in interethnic differences in emotional suppression. We propose a model in which suppression of specific emotional experiences (suppressive behaviours during interactions with others) mediates the relationship between emotional suppression tendency (intention to suppress emotions) and well-being, operationalised as mood disturbance, life dissatisfaction and depressive and physical symptoms. The sample consisted of 427 majority group members and 344 non-Western and 465 Western immigrants in the Netherlands. Non-Western immigrants scored higher on emotional suppression tendency and lower on well-being than the other groups. We did not find interethnic differences in suppression of specific emotional experiences. The full mediation model was supported in all groups. Interethnic differences in well-being could not be accounted for by differences in emotional suppression

What mediates the link between childhood maltreatment and depression? The role of emotion dysregulation, attachment, and attributional style

Background: Childhood maltreatment (CM) has been shown to be related to a severe and/or chronic course of depression. This study investigated which psychological processes mediate this relationship. Method: A large sample of acute or recovered depressed individuals (N = 340) participated in an online survey assessing characteristics of depression, trauma exposure, and potential mediators (emotion regulation difficulties, attributional style, and attachment). Results: The experience of CM was related to more severe depression and more depressive episodes. In multiple mediation models, emotion dysregulation, a depressogenic attributional style, and avoidance in close relationships conjointly mediated the relationship between CM and depression severity as well as number of depressive episodes. However, a significant direct path between CM and depression characteristics remained. Exploratory analyses suggested that posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity was an important additional mediator in our sample. Conclusions: Our findings provide preliminary evidence for psychological mediators between CM and depression that may be promising targets for interventions tailored for the treatment of depression in this subgroup