Associations of oxytocin receptor gene (
OXTR) variants and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been reported in earlier studies; in one of the studies associations with IQ and daily living skills ...were found additionally. Variations of the oxytocin receptor gene might also regulate affect, attachment and separation beyond the diagnostic borders of autism. We tested hypotheses of associations between positive and negative affects and social and emotional loneliness (285 adults), IQ (117 adolescents) and polymorphisms of the oxytocin receptor gene (
OXTR rs53576, rs2254298 and rs2228485) in normal subjects. Individuals with the oxytocin
OXTR rs53576 A/A genotype showed lower positive affect scores (
F
=
5.532, df
=
1;
p
=
0.019). This effect was restricted to males (
F
=
13.098, df
=
1;
p
=
0.00047). Haplotypes constructed with the three markers were associated with positive affect (
p
=
0.0012), negative affect (
p
<
0.0001) and emotional loneliness (
p
<
0.0001). Non-verbal intelligence was significantly reduced in rs53576 A/A adolescents (
T
=
2.247,
p
=
0.027). Our findings support a role for the oxytocin receptor haplotypes in the generation of affectivity, emotional loneliness and IQ.
Highlights • This study is the first examining time-trends of perceived stigma toward persons with alcohol use disorder. • The perceived stigma of someone with a history of alcohol problems has ...decreased in Germany since 1990. • Still, a majority of persons expects considerable discrimination and devaluation. • Improvements in stigma perception contrast with stable personal attitudes found in other studies.
Charge lost per unit surface area of a silicon electrode due to the formation of solid-electrolyte-interphase (SEI) layer during initial lithiation was quantified, and the species that constitute ...this layer were identified. Coin cells made with Si thin-film electrodes were subjected to a combination of galvanostatic and potentiostatic lithiation and delithiation cycles to accurately measure the capacity lost to SEI layer formation. While the planar geometry of amorphous thin films allows accurate calculation of surface area, creation of additional surface by cracking was prevented by minimizing the thickness of the Si film. The cycled electrodes were analyzed with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to characterize the composition of the SEI layer. The charge lost due to SEI formation measured from coin cell experiments was found to be in good agreement with the first-cycle capacity loss during the initial lithiation of a Si(100) crystal with planar geometry. The methodology presented in this work is expected to provide a useful practical tool for battery-material developers in estimating the expected capacity loss due to first cycle SEI layer formation and in choosing an appropriate particle size distribution that balances mechanical integrity and the first cycle capacity loss in large volume expansion electrodes for lithium-ion batteries.
► A method to quantify capacity loss per unit area due to initial SEI formation on Si. ► Identify species that constitute the SEI layer. ► Reported data can be used to predict first-cycle capacity loss on any geometry.
To test the feasibility, acceptability and initial effectiveness of a text message-based aftercare treatment programme among alcohol outpatients.
Clients treated for alcohol use disorders from three ...Swiss outpatient alcohol treatment centres were invited by their counsellors to participate in a study testing an interactive aftercare programme employing the use of text messages and personal phone calls. Fifty study participants were randomly assigned to either the 6-month aftercare programme (n = 25) or treatment as usual (n = 25). The intervention consisted of (a) monitoring of self-selected drinking goals at regular intervals, (b) motivational text messages to stick to self-selected drinking goals and (c) proactive telephone calls from counsellors when participants neglected to stick to their drinking goals or expressed a need for support. Follow-up interviews were conducted 6 months after randomization.
Throughout the programme, participants received a total of 421 text message prompts. Out of these, participants provided valid replies to 371 (88.1%) within 48 h. Out of the 25 participants in the intervention group, 11 (44.0%) sent at least one call-for-help reply. Based on complete case data, at risk alcohol use at follow-up was 41.7% in the control group and 28.6% in the intervention group (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.16-1.95, P = 0.36).
The interactive low-intensive aftercare programme was well accepted by the participants. Testing its efficacy within an adequately powered randomized controlled trial might be reasonable.
Background
In public health settings, short message service (SMS) appears to be a promising low‐cost modality for reducing alcohol consumption. Here, we test a simple interactive SMS‐based helpline ...with detoxified alcohol‐dependent patients to extend findings to curative settings.
Methods
This controlled, prospective, 2‐group before‐after block‐assignment, open pilot study tested the feasibility and efficacy of an 8‐week outpatient interactive mobile phone SMS intervention (n = 42) against treatment as usual (TAU; n = 38) after inpatient detoxification. Patients were asked whether they needed any help via an automatically generated text message twice a week. A therapist called the individual back when notified. Alcohol consumption was assessed using the telephone version of Form‐90 4 and 8 weeks after discharge from inpatient detoxification. The primary end point was defined as attaining low‐risk consumption (males ≤30 g or 3.75 units per drinking day (DDD); females ≤20 g or 2.5 units per DDD) 8 weeks after discharge. Missing data were replaced by multiple imputation.
Results
Among all messages sent, 20.5% were followed by a phone call. Feasibility and acceptability were good, as indicated by successful implementation of the SMS procedure and the rapid inclusion of patients. Adherence was satisfactory with 57.14% of the participants replying to at least 50% of the prompts. Patients reported a typical preadmission DDD of 281.25 ± 244.61 g. In the SMS group, 55.7% of 42 patients, and 40% of 38 patients in the TAU group, achieved low‐risk consumption (risk diff: 0.16; 95% CI −0.06 to 0.37; p = 0.122).
Conclusions
In detoxified alcohol‐dependent patients, relapse prevention based on SMS was well received and implemented efficiently and rapidly. An adequately powered multicenter study is currently being conducted to test the nonsignificant but encouraging findings of this exploratory study with more rigorous trial methods (ISRCTN78350716).
Abstract Schizophrenia has a considerable genetic background. Epidemiological studies suggest an inverse clinical association between schizophrenia and migraine. However, it is unclear to what extent ...this inverse comorbidity can be explained by genetic mechanisms or by schizophrenia-related behavioral factors. For both disorders hypotheses of glutamate N-methyl- D -aspartate (NMDA) receptor dysfunction have been developed in the past. We hypothesized that both conditions share common genetic factors with inverse effects, primary in the glutamatergic system and genes involved in NMDA activation. Data from the population based Study of Health in Pomerania ( N =3973) were used. Based on the results from the recent genome-wide association study for schizophrenia, we calculated polygenic scores (PRS) for subsets of SNPs with different p -value cutoffs and for biological sub-entities. These scores were tested for an association of distinct biological pathways with migraine. The PRS for schizophrenia was inversely associated with migraine in our sample. This association was exclusively based on the genome-wide hits and on single nucleotide polymorphisms near or within genes encoding proteins involved in glutamatergic neurotransmission. This association could be attributed to a single intronic variant rs4523957 in SRR encoding serine-racemase. Additional expression quantitative trait loci analyses of functional variants in SRR and gene-by-gene interaction analyses further supported the validity of this finding. SRR represents the rate limiting enzyme for the synthesis of D -serine, an important co-agonist of the NMDA receptor. According to our results, a decreased versus increased activation of NMDA receptors may play a role in the etiology of schizophrenia, as well as in migraine.
Abstract
Background/aims: The application of intranasal oxytocin enhances facial emotion recognition in normal subjects and in subjects with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In addition, various ...features of social cognition have been associated with variants of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR). Therefore, we tested for associations between mind-reading, a measure for social recognition and OXTR polymorphisms. Methods: 76 healthy adolescents and young adults were tested for associations between OXTR rs53576, rs2254298, rs2228485 and mind-reading using the "Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test" (RMET). Results: After Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, rs2228485 was associated with the number of incorrect answers when subjects evaluated male faces (P =0.000639). There were also associations between OXTR rs53576, rs2254298 and rs2228485 and other RMET dimensions according to P <0.05 (uncorrected). Conclusion: This study adds further evidence to the hypothesis that genetic variations in the OXTR modulate mind-reading and social behaviour.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The first Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument is planned for launch by NASA in 1998. This instrument will provide a new and improved capability for terrestrial satellite ...remote sensing aimed at meeting the needs of global change research. The MODIS standard products will provide new and improved tools for moderate resolution land surface monitoring. These higher order data products have been designed to remove the burden of certain common types of data processing from the user community and meet the more general needs of global-to-regional monitoring, modeling, and assessment. The near-daily coverage of moderate resolution data from MODIS, coupled with the planned increase in high-resolution sampling from Landsat 7, will provide a powerful combination of observations. The full potential of MODIS will be realized once a stable and well-calibrated time-series of multispectral data has been established. In this paper the proposed MODIS standard products for land applications are described along with the current plans for data quality assessment and product validation.
Chile peppers, native to the Americas, have spread around the world and have been integrated into the diets of many cultures. Much like their heat content, nutritional content can vary dramatically ...between different pepper types. In this study, a diverse set of chile pepper types were examined for nutrient content. Some pepper types were found to have high levels of vitamin A, vitamin C, or folate. Correlations between nutrient content, species, cultivation status, or geographic region were limited. Varietal selection or plant breeding offer tools to augment nutrient content in peppers. Integration of nutrient rich pepper types into diets that already include peppers could help combat nutrient deficiencies by providing a significant portion of recommended daily nutrients.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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