Abstract The relationship between self-esteem and aggression has yielded mixed results and generated much recent debate in the social psychology literature. Based on an evolutionary-psychological ...theory of self-esteem, Kirkpatrick et al. Kirkpatrick, L. A., Waugh, C. E., Valencia, A., Webster, G., 2002. The functional domain-specificity of self-esteem and the differential prediction of aggression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 825, 756–767 showed that multiple, functionally distinct self-esteem mechanisms predict aggression differentially: e.g., “self-perceived superiority” is positively related, and “social inclusion” inversely related, to behavioral aggression. The present study extends this research by further differentiating two distinct forms of “superiority,” dominance and prestige Henrich, J., Gil-White, F. J. 2001. The evolution of prestige: Freely conferred deference as a mechanism for enhancing the benefits of cultural transmission. Evolution and Human Behavior 22, 165–196, in the prediction of aggression in men and women and testosterone levels (measured in saliva samples) in men. Dominance was positively related, but prestige was either unrelated or inversely related, to self-report aggression measures. Dominance was unrelated but prestige inversely related to testosterone levels in men, perhaps suggesting a method of testosterone inhibition in individuals attaining prestige-based superiority. In addition to contributing to the growing literature on the aggression–self-esteem link, the results provide validation for the prestige–dominance distinction and support, but also suggest an important refinement to, a theory of self-esteem as a collection of functionally distinct adaptations.
Intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH), defined as a pathologically increase in intraabdominal pressure, is commonly found in critically ill patients. While IAH has been associated with several abdominal ...as well as extra-abdominal conditions, few studies have examined the occurrence of IAH in relation to mortality. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the prognostic role of IAH and its risk factors at admission in critically ill patients across a wide range of settings and countries. An individual patient meta-analysis of all available data and a systematic review of published (in full or as abstract) medical databases and studies between 1996 and June 2012 were performed. The search was limited to "clinical trials" and "randomized controlled trials", "adults", using the terms "intra-abdominal pressure", "intraabdominal hypertension" combined with any of the terms "outcome" and "mortality". All together data on 2707 patients, representing 21 centers from 11 countries was obtained. Data on 1038 patients were not analysed because of the following exclusion criteria: no IAP value on admission (N.=712), absence of information on ICU outcome (N.=195), age <18 or >95 years (N.=131). Data from 1669 individual patients (19 centers from 9 countries) were analyzed in the meta-analysis. Presence of IAH was defined as a sustained increase in IAP equal to or above 12 mmHg. At admission the mean overall IAP was 9.9±5.0 mmHg, with 463 patients (27.7%) presenting IAH with a mean IAP of 16.3±3.4 mmHg. The only independent predictors for IAH were SOFA score and fluid balance on the day of admission. Five hundred thirteen patients (30.8%) died in intensive care. The independent predictors for intensive care mortality were IAH, SAPS II score, SOFA score and admission category. This systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis shows that IAH is frequently present in critically ill patients and it is an independent predictor for mortality.
Summary The objective of this study was to assess the incidence, outcomes, and costs of trauma-related nosocomial bloodstream infection (BSI). This was a 3:1 matched cohort study in patients with ...severe trauma defined by an injury severity score (ISS) ≥ 12 admitted to adult or paediatric regional trauma centres over a four-year period. Case patients with nosocomial BSI were matched to controls without a BSI based on predetermined criteria. Outcomes of interest included mortality, length of stay (LOS), and cost attributable to nosocomial BSI. Fifty-seven cases were identified, among whom 51 were successfully matched to three controls. The mean ISS among cases was 30.3, and Staphylococcus aureus was the most commonly isolated pathogen (27%). Being a case was accompanied by a 27% relative increase in the hospital LOS ( P = 0.02). The odds ratio for 30 day mortality associated with being a case was 5.8 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1–30.8; P = 0.04). Among survivor-matched groups, being a case was associated with 53% relative increase in the geometric mean total hospital cost $97,993 (95% CI: $70,143–136,899) for cases and $62,297 (95% CI: $52,155–74,411) for controls, P < 0.0001. This is the first study to show that nosocomial BSI complicating severe trauma is associated with a substantial increase in hospital LOS and in total hospital cost. Our data provide justification to support efforts to reduce the adverse impact of BSI in trauma victims.
Abstract Background This study was conducted to assess the feasibility of measuring intra-abdominal pressure in term parturients under spinal anesthesia. Methods Intra-abdominal pressure was measured ...in 20 term parturients after spinal anesthesia for elective caesarean section. Pressure was measured in the supine and 10° left lateral tilt positions with a constant reference point throughout. Results Intra-abdominal pressure measurement was feasible and safe to perform. Pressure was significantly lower in the left lateral tilt position than supine (10.9 mmHg ± 4.67 vs. 8.9 mmHg ± 4.87, P = 0.0004). The range of intra-abdominal pressure in pregnancy was wide, from 2 to 20 mmHg, with >25% of patients resting with pressures above 12 mmHg in both positions. Conclusions Under spinal anesthesia, intra-abdominal pressure in >25% of healthy term parturients was > 12 mmHg, which has conventionally been defined as intra-abdominal hypertension. The intra-abdominal pressure in term pregnancy should be performed in the left lateral tilt position to avoid falsely elevated pressure measurements.
Determination of the tendencies of amino acids to form α-helical and β-sheet structures has been important in clarifying stabilizing interactions, protein design, and the protein folding problem. In ...this study, we have determined for the first time a complete scale of amino acid propensities for another important protein motif: the collagen triple-helix conformation with its Gly-X-Y repeating sequence. Guest triplets of the form Gly-X-Hyp and Gly-Pro-Y are used to quantitate the conformational propensities of all 20 amino acids for the X and Y positions in the context of a (Gly-Pro-Hyp)8 host peptide. The rankings for both the X and Y positions show the highly stabilizing nature of imino acids and the destabilizing effects of Gly and aromatic residues. Many residues show differing propensities in the X versus Y position, related to the nonequivalence of these positions in terms of interchain interactions and solvent exposure. The propensity of amino acids to adopt a polyproline II-like conformation plays a role in their triple-helix rankings, as shown by a moderate correlation of triple-helix propensity with frequency of occurrence in polyproline II-like regions. The high propensity of ionizable residues in the X position suggests the importance of interchain hydrogen bonding directly or through water to backbone carbonyls or hydroxyprolines. The low propensity of side chains with branching at the Cδ in the Y position supports models suggesting these groups block solvent access to backbone CO groups. These data provide a first step in defining sequence-dependent variations in local triple-helix stability and binding, and are important for a general understanding of side chain interactions in all proteins.
Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) are concentrated at neuromuscular synapses in many species, including Drosophila. We have established the physiological and patterning functions of HSPGs at the ...Drosophila neuromuscular junction by using mutations that block heparan sulfate synthesis or sulfation to compromise HSPG function. The mutant animals showed defects in synaptic physiology and morphology suggesting that HSPGs function both presynaptically and postsynaptically; these defects could be rescued by appropriate transgene expression. Of particular interest were selective disruptions of mitochondrial localization, abnormal distributions of Golgi and endoplasmic reticulum markers in the muscle, and a markedly increased level of stimulus-dependent endocytosis in the motoneuron. Our data support the emerging view that HSPG functions are not limited to the cell surface and matrix environments, but also affect a diverse set of cellular processes including membrane trafficking and organelle distributions.
Adult attachment styles in 354 heterosexual couples in serious dating relationships were examined. Principal findings included the following: (a) male and female attachment styles were nonrandomly ...paired, for example, no anxious-anxious or avoidant-avoidant pairs were found; (b) male and female styles related to concurrent relationship ratings of both partners in different but theoretically meaningful ways; (c) male and female styles contributed significantly to longitudinal prediction of relationship stability and status, even when prior duration and commitment to the relationship were statistically controlled; (d) specifically, relationships of avoidant men and of anxious women were surprisingly stable over 3 years, particularly in light of the relatively poor ratings of these relationships by both partners at Time 1. Discussion focuses on the need to integrate gender role considerations and relationship dynamics and processes into theorizing on adult attachment.
The bacterium Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a worldwide threat to
public health and has been implicated in many outbreaks of haemorrhagic colitis,
some of which included fatalities caused by haemolytic ...uraemic syndrome. Close to 75,000 cases of O157:H7 infection are now estimated
to occur annually in the United States. The severity of disease,
the lack of effective treatment and the potential for large-scale outbreaks
from contaminated food supplies have propelled intensive research on the pathogenesis
and detection of E. coli O157:H7 (ref. 4).
Here we have sequenced the genome of E. coli O157:H7 to identify candidate
genes responsible for pathogenesis, to develop better methods of strain detection
and to advance our understanding of the evolution of E. coli, through
comparison with the genome of the non-pathogenic laboratory strain E. coli
K-12 (ref. 5). We find that lateral gene
transfer is far more extensive than previously anticipated. In fact, 1,387
new genes encoded in strain-specific clusters of diverse sizes were found
in O157:H7. These include candidate virulence factors, alternative metabolic
capacities, several prophages and other new functions-all of which could
be targets for surveillance.
Evolutionary psychology is an emerging paradigm for the social sciences that offers a powerful metatheoretical framework for personality psychology and, as I attempt to demonstrate in this article, ...for the psychology of religion as well. I argue that religion is not an evolved adaptation; rather, the diverse range of beliefs, behavior, and experience that we collectively refer to as religion emerge as byproducts of numerous, domain‐specific psychological mechanisms that evolved to solve other (mundane) adaptive problems. These include mechanisms for reasoning about the natural world (naive physics and biology), about other people’ minds (naive psychology), and about specific kinds of interpersonal relationships (attachment, kinship, social exchange, coalitions, status hierarchies).
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