Defense mechanisms in cancer patients: a systematic review Di Giuseppe, Mariagrazia; Ciacchini, Rebecca; Micheloni, Tommaso ...
Journal of psychosomatic research,
December 2018, 2018-Dec, 2018-12-00, 20181201, Volume:
115
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
The importance of defense mechanisms in cancer progression and adaptation have been largely observed. However, few studies referred to the generally accepted hierarchical organization of defenses and ...used validated measurements for defensive assessment. In this systematic review, we investigated the whole hierarchy of defense mechanisms and how they associate with various psychological aspects in cancer patients.
A literature search was conducted using electronic databases. Among 1570 records published from 1990 to date, only 15 articles met inclusion criteria. Findings related to cancer patients' defensive functioning and its relations with other physical and psychological variables were extracted.
A general consistency emerges on the role of defense mechanisms in cancer progression and recovery. Following the hierarchical organization of defenses, higher physical and emotional functioning emerged as being associated with High-adaptive defenses, while Mental Inhibition defenses, in particular repression, promote psychosomatic symptoms, passive decisional preferences and worse physical and emotional health. Disavowal defenses foster lower anxiety and higher emotional functioning by denying anxiety about death. Image distortion defenses, including both Minor and Major image-distorting defenses, were more frequent in cancer patients than in control groups and finally, Action defenses predicted sleep disturbance and lower survival probability.
The early detection of maladaptive defensive functioning may foster appropriate psychotherapeutic intervention and prevent worsening of the illness. Further investigations are required to replicate these findings and highlight associations between defense mechanisms and various aspects of mental functioning in cancer patients.
•High-adaptive defenses associate with low depression and anxiety in cancer patients.•Mental Inhibition defenses, in particular repression, promote psychosomatic symptoms.•Denial correlate to self-perceived physical and mental health and low anxiety.•Cancer patients use more major image-distortion defenses compared to healthy controls.•Action defenses predicted sleep disturbance and lower survival probability.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Patients affected by obstructive pulmonary diseases exhibit typical characteristics of airway mucus hypersecretion, including sputum production, in- creased luminal mucus, goblet cell hyperplasia and ...submucosal gland hypertrophy. The mucociliary system is a sophisticated defense mechanism to maintain the homeostasis of the respiratory tract by means of the bronchial mucus transport, the process in which airway mucus together with substances trapped within are moved out of the lungs. In the end, the mucus together with the substances trapped within are swallowed or coughed up. It is an impor- tant defense mechanism of the human body. ...
Cisco IOS is an operating system that runs on Cisco routing and switching equipment. Its security is important to the entire network. Since vulnerability attacks have become one of the main sources ...of threat to Cisco IOS security, it is necessary to analyze the defense mechanism of IOS against vulnerability attacks. The purpose of this paper is to find out the deficiencies of IOS vulnerability defense mechanism in time and put forward improvement methods and preventive measures. Firstly, this paper introduces the protection mechanism of Cisco IOS vulnerability, including CheckHeaps, DEP, ASLR. The principle of these mechanisms and the idea of vulnerability protection are analyzed. And then, after analyzing the shortcomings of these protection mechanisms, the basic idea of bypassing these protection mechanisms is proposed. Finally, in view of the shortcomings of Cisco IOS vulnerability defense mechanism and the proposed bypass methods, some advices about how to better protect Cisco IOS from vulnerability exploitation are given.
The experience of simultaneously positive and negative orientations toward a person, goal, task, idea, and such appears to be quite common in organizations, but it is poorly understood. We develop a ...multilevel perspective on ambivalence in organizations that demonstrates how this phenomenon is integral to certain cognitive and emotional processes and important outcomes. Specifically, we discuss the organizational triggers of ambivalence and the cognitive and emotional mechanisms through which ambivalence diffuses between the individual and collective levels of analysis. We offer an integrative framework of major responses to highly intense ambivalence (avoidance, domination, compromise, and holism) that is applicable to actors at the individual and collective levels. The positive and negative outcomes associated with each response, and the conditions under which each is most effective, are explored. Although ambivalence is uncomfortable for actors, it has the potential to foster growth in the actor as well as highly adaptive and effective behavior.
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BFBNIB, CEKLJ, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Dillenia indica produces mucilaginous seeds embedded in hard, fibrous, megafaunal fruits, and little is known about the ecological function of mucilage in its regeneration. Using standard laboratory ...protocols, we investigated the role of mucilage on seed dispersal (buoyancy), chemical defense (antibiotic, antifungal, antioxidant, and allelopathic activities), and seed germination. Further, we characterized seed germination, dormancy, and storage physiology of D. indica. Results revealed that mucilage associated with seed‐coat assists seeds in floating on water for a longer duration, acts as an antimicrobial agent without hampering the overall seed germination. It was noticed that fresh mature seeds possess an underdeveloped embryo that grows within the seed before radicle emergence (a sign of morphological dormancy; MD), and seeds took ~70 days to achieve 95% germination (a sign of physiological dormancy; PD). However, the rate of germination increased when seeds were treated with gibberellin or subjected to 1‐month dry‐storage (confirmation of PD). Seeds disperse with ~12% moisture and retain high viability even after ultra‐drying over silica gel, indicating an orthodox seed storage physiology. Study concludes that mucilage plays a crucial ecophysiological function in dispersal‐defense mechanism of D. indica seeds, by enhancing seed buoyancy, helping seeds to disperse long‐distance, and protecting the seeds from soil pathogens through antimicrobial activity. Our study confirmed that seeds of D. indica possess morphophysiological dormancy (MPD), unlike the MD reported in an earlier study from North India. Possible ecophysiological function of mucilage on seed dispersal‐defense mechanism and production of morphophysiological dormant and orthodox seeds in D. indica are discussed.
Dillenia indica produces mucilaginous fruit/seeds, and we know little about the ecological function of mucilage in its regeneration. The study reveals that mucilage enhances seed buoyancy (dispersal) and protects the seeds from soil pathogens through antimicrobial activity (defense). Fresh mature seeds retain high viability even after ultra‐drying (desiccation) and have an underdeveloped embryo that took ~70 days to germinate (dormancy). Here we discussed the possible ecophysiological function of megafaunal fruits with mucilaginous seeds in the spatiotemporal dispersal‐defense mechanism.
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DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Summary
Histone acetylation is a critical epigenetic modification that regulates plant immunity. Fungal pathogens secrete effectors that modulate host immunity and facilitate infection, but whether ...fungal pathogens have evolved effectors that directly target plant histone acetylation remains unknown.
Here, we identified a secreted protein, UvSec117, from the rice false smut fungus, Ustilaginoidea virens, as a key effector that can target the rice histone deacetylase OsHDA701 and negatively regulates rice broad‐spectrum resistance against rice pathogens. UvSec117 disrupts host immunity by recruiting OsHDA701 to the nucleus and enhancing OsHDA701‐modulated deacetylation, thereby reducing histone H3K9 acetylation levels in rice plants and interfering with defense gene activation.
Host‐induced gene silencing of UvSec117 promotes rice resistance to U. virens, thus providing an alternative way for developing rice false smut‐resistant plants.
This is the first direct evidence demonstrating that a fungal effector targets a histone deacetylase to suppress plant immunity. Our data provided insight into a counter‐defense mechanism in a plant pathogen that inactivates host defense responses at the epigenetic level.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Summary
Vitellogenin (Vg) is a well‐known nutritious protein involved in reproduction in nearly all oviparous animals, including insects. Recently, Vg has been detected in saliva proteomes of several ...piercing–sucking herbivorous arthropods, including the small brown planthopper (Laodelphax striatellus, SBPH). Its function, however, remains unexplored.
We investigated the molecular mechanism underlying SBPH orally secreted Vg‐mediated manipulation of plant–insect interaction by RNA interference, phytohormone and H2O2 profiling, protein–protein interaction studies and herbivore bioassays.
A C‐terminal polypeptide of Vg (VgC) in SBPH, when secreted into rice plants, acted as a novel effector to attenuate host rice defenses, which in turn improved insect feeding performance. Silencing Vg reduced insect feeding and survival on rice. Vg‐silenced SBPH nymphs consistently elicited higher H2O2 production, a well‐established defense mechanism in rice, whereas expression of VgC in planta significantly hindered hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) accumulation and promoted insect performance. VgC interacted directly with the rice transcription factor OsWRKY71, a protein which is involved in induction of H2O2 accumulation and plant resistance to SBPH.
These findings indicate a novel effector function of Vg: when secreted into host rice plants, this protein effectively weakened H2O2‐mediated plant defense through its association with a plant immunity regulator.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Invertebrates rely heavily on immune-like molecules with highly diversified variability so as to counteract infections. However, the mechanisms and the relationship between this variability and ...functionalities are not well understood. Here, we showed that the C-terminal domain of hemocyanin (HMC) from shrimp
contained an evolutionary conserved domain with highly variable genetic sequence, which is structurally homologous to immunoglobulin (Ig). This domain is responsible for recognizing and binding to bacteria or red blood cells, initiating agglutination and hemolysis. Furthermore, when HMC is separated into three fractions using anti-human IgM, IgG, or IgA, the subpopulation, which reacted with anti-human IgM (HMC-M), showed the most significant antimicrobial activity. The high potency of HMC-M is a consequence of glycosylation, as it contains high abundance of α-d-mannose relative to α-d-glucose and
-acetyl-d-galactosamine. Thus, the removal of these glycans abolished the antimicrobial activity of HMC-M. Our results present a comprehensive investigation of the role of HMC in fighting against infections through genetic variability and epigenetic modification.
The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic represents a worldwide emergency, which may have harmful consequences on people's mental health. Parallel to research focused on risk factors, it could ...be useful to investigate the factors that help to cope with such crises at an emotional level. Therefore, this study aimed to strengthen the role of variables that protect from subjective distress during the COVID-19 pandemic, explore the pathways between satisfaction with life and perceived stress, and consider the role of coping strategies and defense mechanisms in this relationship. A sample of 1102 Italian participants who were experiencing the COVID-19 lockdown measures (Mage = 34.91, SD = 11.91) completed an online survey in which the Ten Item Perceived Stress Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory and Forty-Item Defense Style Questionnaire were included. The data were analyzed using Pearson's r correlations and moderation analysis. A chained-mediation model showed that the relationship between life satisfaction and perceived stress is partially mediated by approach coping, positive attitude and mature defenses. This study contributes toward gaining a better understanding of a protective pathway for mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings could be useful from both a preventive and an intervention perspective.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
In response to rapidly growing rates of comorbidity among psychiatric disorders, clinical scientists have become interested in identifying transdiagnostic processes that can help explain dysfunction ...across diagnostic categories (e.g., Kring & Sloan, 2009). One factor that has received a great deal of attention is that of emotion regulation, namely, the ability to modulate the intensity and/or duration of emotional states (e.g., Cicchetti, Ackerman, & Izard, 1995; Gross, 1998). Recent theoretical and empirical work has begun to emphasize the role that emotion regulation plays in the temporal comorbidity between internalizing and externalizing conditions (e.g., Aldao & De Los Reyes, 2015; De Los Reyes & Aldao, 2015; Drabick & Kendall, 2010; Jarrett & Ollendick, 2008; Patrick & Hajcak, 2016). However, close inspection of this work reveals two very pertinent areas of growth: (a) this literature is characterized by mixed findings that are likely explained, in part, by methodological heterogeneity; and (b) emotion regulation tends to be studied in relatively narrow terms. To address these issues, we provide a series of recommendations for facilitating cross-study comparisons and leveraging multifaceted approaches to studying emotion regulation processes within a developmental psychopathology framework. We hope that our perspective can enhance the organization and growth of this very important area of inquiry, and ultimately result in more effective prevention and treatment programs.
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