DEPRESSION, FAMILY AND CELLULAR IMMUNITY: INFLUENCE OF FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS AND CELLULAR IMMUNITY ON THE SEVERITY OF DEPRESSION

Background: Exposure to stress activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis through the release of catecholamines, which modify humoral and cellular immunity. On the one hand, this psycho-immunological theory makes it possible to forge links between immunity and depression. On the other hand, we know that family determinants are an important variable in the model of vulnerability to depression. Our study weighs the influence of cellular immunity and family relations on the severity of depression. Subjects and method: 498 inpatients with major depressive disorder were enrolled in an open-label trial. In addition to a sociodemographic questionnaire, they completed Olsen’s FACES III and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Flow cytometry was used to assess lymphocyte subsets. Results: In terms of immunity, there are correlations between the BDI and percentages of CD3 (p=0.015; r=-0.112), CD4 (p<0.000; r=-0.175), CD4/CD8 (p=0.045; r=-0.093) and CD16 and 56 (p=0.014; r=0.113). In terms of family relationships, there is a correlation between the BDI and family of origin, both for cohesion (p=0.007; r=-0.169) and adaptability (p=0.035; r=-0.133) measures. With respect to the relationship between family dynamics and immunity, there are correlations between adaptability in the family of origin and CD3 (p=0.04; r=0.094) and CD4 (p=0.044; r=0.093). A logistic regression model for family variables explained 11.4% of the BDI, compared to 12.7% for immune variables, while a model including the two explained 16%. Conclusions: While both the family and immunity can explain the BDI, it is surprising they have a greater effect in combination than individually. This suggests that the psycho-immunological theory should look at the relation between immunity and family life, notably in relation to the family of origin

Mandible Behavior in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients Under CPAP Treatment

Aim: To investigate whether obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients present different behaviors of mandible movements before and under CPAP therapy. Materials and Methodology: In this retrospective study, patients were selected according to inclusion criteria: both the diagnostic polysomnography recording showing an OSA with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) greater than 25 (n/h) and the related CPAP therapy control recordings were available, presence of mandible movement and mask pressure signals in the recordings, and tolerance to the applied positive pressure. Statistical analysis on four parameters, namely the apneahypopnea index (AHI), the arousal index (ArI), the average of the mandible lowering during sleep (aLOW), and the average amplitude of the oscillations of the mandible movement signal (aAMPL), was performed on two sets of recordings: OSA and CPAP therapy. Results: Thirty-four patients satisfied the inclusion criteria, thus both OSA and CPAP groups included thirty-four recordings each. Significant difference (p < 0.001) was found in the OSA group compared with the CPAP group when considering either the four parameters or only the two ones related to mandible movements. Conclusions: When an efficient CPAP pressure is applied, the mouth is less open and presents fewer broad sharp closure movements, and oscillating mandible movements are absent or very small.Peer reviewe

Stability of cooled beams

Because of their high density together with extremely small spreads in betatron frequency and momentum, cooled beams are very vulnerable to incoherent and coherent space-charge effects and instabilities. Moreover, the cooling system itself, i.e. the electron beam in the case of e-cooling, presents large linear and non-linear 'impedances' to the circulating ion beam, in addition to the usual beam-environment coupling impedances of the storage ring. Beam blow-up and losses, attributed to such effects, have been observed in virtually all the existing electron cooling rings. The adverse effects seem to be more pronounced in those rings, like CELSIUS, that are equipped with a cooler capable of reaching the presently highest energy (100 to 300 keV electrons corresponding to 180 to 560 MeV protons). The stability conditions will be revisited with emphasis on the experience gained at LEAR. It will be argued that for all present coolers, three conditions are necessary (although probably not sufficient) for the stability of intense cold beams: (i) operation below transition energy, (ii) active damping to counteract coherent instability, and (iii) careful control of the e-beam neutralisation. An extrapolation to the future 'medium energy coolers', planned to work for (anti)protons of several GeV, will also be attempted

The production of dense lead-ion beams for the CERN LHC

To reach the design luminosity for lead-ions in the LHC, the present Low Energy Antiproton Ring (LEAR) has to be converted into a Low Energy Ion Ring (LEIR). Since the present ECR lead-ion source does not provide sufficient intensity, the main goal of LEIR is to act as a low-energy (4.2MeV/u) accumulator where the ion beam is stacked and cooled (with the help of an electron-cooler) to reach the required intensity and emittances. An experimental program has been carried out at LEAR in recent years in order to test the cooling and stacking process with the present electron-cooler. A variety of results have been reported at previous conferences. This paper will focus on the electron cooling aspects resulting from the afore mentioned experiments. Taking into account the experienc

Electron cooling of PB54+^{54+} ions in the low energy ion ring (LEIR)

For the preparation of dense bunches of lead ions for the LHC, electron cooling will be essential for accumula tion in a storage ring at 4.2 MeV/u. Tests have been carried out on the LEAR ring (renamed LEIR for Low Energy Ion Ring) in order to determine the optimum parameters for a future state-of-the-art electron cooling device which would be able to cool linac pulses of lead ions in less than 100 ms. The experiments focused on the generation of a stable high intensity electron beam that is needed to free space in both longitudinal and transverse phase space for incoming pulses. Investigations on the ion beam lifetime in the presence of the electron beam and on the dependency of the cooling times on the optical settings of the storage ring will also be discussed. This paper concentrates on the cooling aspects with the multiturn injection, vacuum, and high intensity aspects discussed in a companion paper at this conference

Hadron Coolers at CERN

To provide efficient deceleration and to produce antiproton beam with the required characteristics two different cooler systems (stochastic and electron) are used in operation on the AD (Antiproton Decelerator) machine. In a near future, an electron cooling system will be used in LEIR (Low Energy Ion Ring) to accumulate ions for LHC. This system will be used for a fast ion beam cooling and stacking. These cooling systems are described

A lipoxygenase with dual positional specificity is expressed in olives (Olea europaea L.) during ripening.

International audiencePlant lipoxygenases (LOXs) are a class of widespread dioxygenases catalysing the hydroperoxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Although multiple isoforms of LOX have been detected in a wide range of plants, their physiological roles remain to be clarified. With the aim to clarify the occurrence of LOXs in olives and their contribution to the elaboration of the olive oil aroma, we cloned and characterized the first cDNA of the LOX isoform which is expressed during olive development. The open reading frame encodes a polypeptide of 864 amino acids. This olive LOX is a type-1 LOX which shows a high degree of identity at the peptide level towards hazelnut (77.3%), tobacco (76.3%) and almond (75.5%) LOXs. The recombinant enzyme shows a dual positional specificity, as it forms both 9- and 13-hydroperoxide of linoleic acid in a 2:1 ratio, and would be defined as 9/13-LOX. Although a LOX activity was detected throughout the olive development, the 9/13-LOX is mainly expressed at late developmental stages. Our data suggest that there are at least two Lox genes expressed in black olives, and that the 9/13-LOX is associated with the ripening and senescence processes. However, due to its dual positional specificity and its expression pattern, its contribution to the elaboration of the olive oil aroma might be considered

Tracing the geographic origin of poultry meat and dried beef with oxygen and strontium isotope ratios

Two promising isotope ratios, the δ18O of the water fraction, as extracted by azeotropic distillation, and the 87Sr/86Sr of the ash fraction were tested for their applicability to determine the geographic origin. In two sampling phases, in total 78 fresh poultry breast meat and 72 dried beef samples, independent from each other and originating from different countries, were analysed. The δ18O was measured with isotope ratio mass spectrometry and the isotope abundance ratio of 87Sr/86Sr with a multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. With δ18O it was possible to distinguish (p<0.001) poultry and dried beef samples according to their country of origin. The beef data suggests that the procedure of processing is of only low additional influence on δ18O and, if so, it seems to reduce the initial between-country differences. The 87Sr/86Sr ratio did not give sufficient indications for differentiation by geographic origin in either poultry meat or dried beef in the smaller, first phase, data set and was therefore not further teste