PERSON-ORIENTED APPROACH IN EXAMINING CHINESE-HUNGARIAN PERSONALITY AND AFFECTIVE DISORDER PROFILES

Background: Our Chinese-Hungarian crosscultural research aimed to apply a person-oriented approach on examining patterns of cultural, personality and affective disorder variables. Subjects and methods: Our sample consisted of 238 Chinese and 167 Hungarian university students under the age of 26 years old. 238 Chinese university students (112 males, 126 females; mean age: 19.55, SD: 1.60) and 167 Hungarian University students (65 males and 100 females; mean age: 20.47, SD: 1.83) participated in our research. All individuals were under 26 years old. No 2(df=1)=2.32, p=0.127)) and no age differences between countries were observed. We analyzed in person-oriented approach the Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Aluja Personality Questionnaire, the universal values scale of Schwartz and three affective disorder questionnaires (Mood Disorder Questionnaire, Hypomania checklist, PVP Depression Scale). Results: We applied model-based clustering that resulted in a model with five spherical, varying volume components. This meant that five clusters emerged, five typical patterns of the cultural, personality and affective variables. Significant cultural difference 2(df=4)=79.489, p<0.000)) in cluster proportions. In three clusters, proportion of Chinese was significantly higher than proportion (Overcontrolled: 82.6%, Reserved: 71.1%, Ordinary: 60.5%) of Hungarian. In the two remaining clusters, majority were Hungarian (Positive Sensation Seeker: 90.0%, Aggressive-Impulsive: 80.4%). Moreover, different psychiatric vulnerability emerge in relation to different profiles. Profiles that are more typical to Hungarians, have high sensation seeking level, and show vulnerability to hypomania, mood disorder and impulsive depression. On the other hand, typical Chinese profiles are linked to vulnerability of non-impulsive depression. Conclusions: In sum, culture and cultural values play an important role in the vulnerability of different affective disorders. These differences can be linked to different typical personality patterns

Heterologous expression, purification and biochemical characterization of a glutamate racemase (MurI) from Streptococcus mutans UA159

Background Glutamate racemase (MurI) is a cofactor-independent enzyme that is essential to the bacterial peptidoglycan biosynthesis pathway and has therefore been considered an attractive target for the development of antimicrobial drugs. While in our previous study the essentiality of the murI gene was shown in Streptococcus mutans, the primary aetiologic agent of human dental caries, studies on S. mutans MurI have not yet provided definitive results. This study aimed to produce and characterize the biochemical properties of the MurI from the S. mutans UA159 genome. Methods Structure characterization prediction and multiple sequence alignment were performed by bioinformatic analysis. Recombinant His6-tagged S. mutans MurI was overexpressed in the expression vector pColdII and further purified using a Ni2+ affinity chromatography method. Protein solubility, purity and aggregation state were analyzed by SDS–PAGE, Western blotting, native PAGE and SEC-HPLC. Kinetic parameters were assessed by a circular dichroism (CD) assay. Kinetic constants were calculated based on the curve fit for the Michaelis–Menten equation. The effects of temperature and pH on enzymatic activity were determined by a series of coupled enzyme reaction mixtures. Results The glutamate racemase gene from S. mutans UA159 was amplified by PCR, cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The 264-amino-acid protein, as a mixture of dimeric and monomeric enzymes, was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. In the CD assay, S. mutans MurI displayed unique kinetic parameters (Km, d-Glu→l-Glu = 0.3631 ± 0.3205 mM, Vmax, d-Glu→l-Glu = 0.1963 ± 0.0361 mM min−1, kcat, d-Glu→l-Glu = 0.0306 ± 0.0065 s−1, kcat/Km, d-Glu→l-Glu = 0.0844 ± 0.0128 s−1 mM−1, with d-glutamate as substrate; Km, l-Glu→d-Glu = 0.8077 ± 0.5081 mM, Vmax, l-Glu→d-Glu = 0.2421 ± 0.0418 mM min−1, kcat, l-Glu→d-Glu = 0.0378 ± 0.0056 s−1, kcat/Km, l-Glu→d-Glu = 0.0468 ± 0.0176 s−1 mM−1, with l-glutamate as substrate). S. mutans MurI possessed an assay temperature optimum of 37.5 °C and its optimum pH was 8.0. Conclusion The findings of this study provide insight into the structure and biochemical traits of the glutamate racemase in S. mutans and supply a conceivable guideline for employing glutamate racemase in anti-caries drug design

PERSON-ORIENTED APPROACH IN EXAMINING CHINESE-HUNGARIAN PERSONALITY AND AFFECTIVE DISORDER PROFILES

Background: Our Chinese-Hungarian crosscultural research aimed to apply a person-oriented approach on examining patterns of cultural, personality and affective disorder variables. Subjects and methods: Our sample consisted of 238 Chinese and 167 Hungarian university students under the age of 26 years old. 238 Chinese university students (112 males, 126 females; mean age: 19.55, SD: 1.60) and 167 Hungarian University students (65 males and 100 females; mean age: 20.47, SD: 1.83) participated in our research. All individuals were under 26 years old. No 2(df=1)=2.32, p=0.127)) and no age differences between countries were observed. We analyzed in person-oriented approach the Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Aluja Personality Questionnaire, the universal values scale of Schwartz and three affective disorder questionnaires (Mood Disorder Questionnaire, Hypomania checklist, PVP Depression Scale). Results: We applied model-based clustering that resulted in a model with five spherical, varying volume components. This meant that five clusters emerged, five typical patterns of the cultural, personality and affective variables. Significant cultural difference 2(df=4)=79.489, p<0.000)) in cluster proportions. In three clusters, proportion of Chinese was significantly higher than proportion (Overcontrolled: 82.6%, Reserved: 71.1%, Ordinary: 60.5%) of Hungarian. In the two remaining clusters, majority were Hungarian (Positive Sensation Seeker: 90.0%, Aggressive-Impulsive: 80.4%). Moreover, different psychiatric vulnerability emerge in relation to different profiles. Profiles that are more typical to Hungarians, have high sensation seeking level, and show vulnerability to hypomania, mood disorder and impulsive depression. On the other hand, typical Chinese profiles are linked to vulnerability of non-impulsive depression. Conclusions: In sum, culture and cultural values play an important role in the vulnerability of different affective disorders. These differences can be linked to different typical personality patterns

Headache symptoms from migraine patients with and without aura through structure-validated self-reports

Abstract Background Headache symptoms self-reported by migraine patients are largely congruent with the clinician-used diagnostic criteria, but not always so. Patients’ self-reports of headache symptoms might offer additional clues to characterize migraine with (MA) and without (MO) aura more precisely. Methods Firstly, we invited 324 participants with a life-long headache attack to answer an item-matrix measuring symptoms of primary headaches, then we performed both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to their answers and refined a headache symptom questionnaire. Secondly, we applied this questionnaire to 28 MA and 52 MO patients. Results In participants with a life-long headache, we refined a 27-item, structure-validated headache symptom questionnaire, with four factors (scales) namely the Somatic /Aura Symptoms, Gastrointestinal and Autonomic Symptoms, Tightness and Location Features, and Prodromal/Aggravating Symptoms. Further, we found that MA patients reported higher than did MO patients on the Somatic/Aura Symptoms and Tightness and Location Features scales. Conclusions Compared to MO, MA was conferred with more prominent tightness and location features besides its higher somatic or aura symptoms. Patients’ self-reports of headache symptoms might offer more clues to distinguish two types of migraine besides their clinician-defined criteria

Hypnotic susceptibility and affective states in bipolar I and II disorders

Abstract Background Highly hypnotizable individuals have impaired executive function, elevated motor impulsivity and increased emotional sensitivity, which are sometimes found in bipolar disorder patients. It is then reasonable to assume that certain aspects of hypnotic susceptibility differ with the types of bipolar disorder. Methods The Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale: Form C (SHSS:C) test, the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), the Hypomanic Checklist-32 (HCL-32) and the Plutchick-van Praag Depression Inventory (PVP) were applied to 62 patients with bipolar I disorder, 33 bipolar II disorder, and 120 healthy volunteers. Results The passing rate of the SHSS:C ‘Moving hands apart’ item was higher in bipolar I patients than in controls, whereas for ‘Mosquito hallucination’ the rate was lower. Bipolar I and II patients scored significantly higher on MDQ, HCL-32 and PVP scales than controls. The passing rates of ‘Mosquito hallucination’ in controls, ‘Arm rigidity’ in bipolar I, and ‘Age regression’ in bipolar II predicted the respective MDQ scores. Conclusion In contrast to cognitive suggestions, bipolar I patients followed motor suggestions more often under hypnosis. Furthermore, both bipolar disorder patients and healthy volunteers demonstrated associations between mania levels and certain hypnotic susceptibility features. Our study aids in better understanding the altered conscious states in bipolar disorders, and encourages the use of related psychotherapy for these patients