Personality,psychopathology, and nicotine response as mediators of the genetics of smoking

Individual differences in psychopathology, personality, and nicotine responsitivity and their biological bases are evaluated as mechanisms potentially mediating smoking heritability. Smokers are more likely to be high in neurotic traits (e.g., depression, anxiety, anger) and in social alienation (psychoticism, impulsivity, unsocialized sensation-seeking, low conscientiousness, low agreeableness) and low in achievement/socioeconomic status. Psychological and biological mechanisms putatively mediating these associations are reviewed. It is concluded that a number of relatively indirect and complex processes, as well as more direct (e.g., self-medication for psychopathology, nicotine sensitivity), mediate the inheritance of smoking behavior.     

国际情绪图片系统在116名中国老年人中的试用

目的:对美国NIMH情绪与注意研究中心编制的国际情绪图片系统在中国老年人群中进行试用,将结果与NIMH常模进行比较,探讨其异同.方法:在大连市三个社区的老年活动中心选取老年人116名(男:51人,女:65人),年龄60-80岁之间,对从国际情绪图片系统中选取的60幅图片(负性:23幅.中性:12幅,正性:25幅)进行愉悦度、唤醒度、优势度的9点量表评分,结果与NIMH常模进行比较.结果:中国老年人三个维度的评分与NIMH常模的相关系数分别为:0.92,0.54,0.88(P均＜0.001).中国老年人群的唤醒度和优势度评分高于NIMH常模[(5.33±0.93)V8.(4.83±1.25),(5.60±1.20)vs.(5.19±1.21),P＜0.001],而愉悦度评分低于NIMH常模[(4.99±2.28)vs.(5.28±1.85),P=0.020].男女老年人群对大多数图片的情绪感受相近,但女性老年人愉悦度评分高于男性老年人[(5.05±2.33)vs.(4.93±2.24),P=0.002].在愉悦度一唤醒度二维情感空间中,60幅图片呈"＜"形分布.正性图片愉悦度和唤醒度呈线性相关(r=0.71,P＜0.001),负性图片两者的相关性不显著(r=-0.35,P＞0.05).结论:国际情绪图片系统具有较好的国际通用性.但由于中国老年人与NIMH常模在文化、生活、年龄等方面存在差异,故对部分图片的情绪感受不同,提示国际情绪图片系统应用于中国老年人群之前有必要进行本土化的修订.     

浙江淳安小学生流行性癔病的心理社会因素探讨

本文报告对前文所述文昌乡中心小学四个流行性癔病发病班137名学生进行了问卷调查,其中曾发病者36人(女31,男5)与未发病的45人(女38,男7)对照组进行比较。结果显示发病组 EPQ 测定 N 分(神经质)高,平时情绪消极,应对能力差,依赖性强,体质较差,关系密切同学中患病者多,害怕鬼神等特点,与对照组相比,均有显著性差异。     

CD8 is needed for positive selection but differentially required for negative selection of T cells during thymic ontogeny

During thymic development, immature thymocytes expressing major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-restricted T cell receptors (TcR) differentiate into CD8⁺ T cells with cytolytic functions. To evaluate the role of CD8 in positive and negative selection during thymic ontogeny, mice rendered CD8-null by gene targeting were bred with three lines of transgenic mice expressing unique MHC class I-restricted TcR. In all three instances CD8 was required for positive selection of MHC class I-restricted transgenic T cells. The efficiency of positive selection decreased in accordance with a reduced level of CD8 expression on thymocytes. Surprisingly, there was a differential requirement for CD8 expression in negative selection of MHC class I-restricted thymocytes, depending on the antigen specificity of TcR. These observations show that CD8 is essential for positive selection but is differentially required for negative selection of MHC class I-restricted T cells. Thus thymic selection, at least for negative selection, can occur in the absence of the CD8 accessory molecule.     

Measurement Issues in Emotion Research With Children and Adolescents

The need for a multimethod approach to the study of emotion in children and adolescents is crucial, as is a multilevel analysis in which emotional experience is assessed at a variety of levels (Solomon, 2002). This review highlights the critical role of emotion theory when constructing and selecting appropriate assessment tools with a focus on Functionalist theory that emphasizes the importance of contextual variables ( Barrett & Campos, 1987 ). The review begins with an examination of theoretical and pragmatic issues in emotion measurement followed by discussions of four basic methods of emotion assessment (i.e., self-report, other-report, observation, neurophysiology). Implications of emotion assessment for clinical practice and future directions for research conclude the review.     

In vitro negative selection of αβ T cell receptor transgenic thymocytes by conditionally immortalized thymic cortical epithelial cell lines and dendritic cells

We have established conditionally immortalized thymic cortical epithelial cell lines from transgenic mice carrying a temperature-sensitive SV40 large Tantigen. One of these cell lines expresses cortical markers and produces IL-1α, IL-6, IL-7, and TGF-β1. These cells express class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) constitutively and class II MHC upon induction with IFN-μ. The cells appear to have a normal class I antigen presenting pathway since messages for both peptide transporter genes (TAP1, TAP2) were detected. The ability of these cortical epithelial cells to present peptide antigen was compared to that of thymic dendritic cells. In suspension culture with αβ Tcell receptor (TcR) transgenic thymocytes, these epithelial cells and dendritic cells (pre-pulsed with peptide cognate for the transgenic TcR) caused down-regulation of CD4, CD8, and TcR in an antigen dose-dependent and MHC-restricted manner. CD4^dullCD8^dull cells were taken as evidence for negative selection because these cells contained apoptotic DNA. Concentration of peptide required for negative selection of thymocytes was similar between dendritic cells and cortical epithelial cells. In contrast, αβ transgenic spleen cells were activated only by dendritic cells but not by cortical epithelial cells.     

Differential expression of APO-1 on human thymocytes: Implications for negative selection?

Negative selection during T cell ontogeny involves selective induction of apoptosis in thymocytes. In peripheral lymphoid cells, apoptosis may be mediated via the APO-1 pathway. Here we report that APO-1 is constitutively expressed on the vast majority of human thymocytes but down-regulated at a mature stage of thymocyte development (TCR^hi). This stage of development is characterized by CD28^hi, CD44^hi, CD69^hi and up-regulation of Bcl-2 protein. We define a new thymocyte subpopulation that expresses high levels of APO-1 and intermediate levels of T cell receptor α/β (TCR^im/APO-1^hi). The TCR^im/APO-1^hi population contains a large fraction of dead cells, suggesting that the APO-1 pathway may be involved in negative selection of at least a fraction of thymocytes after intrathymic activation.     

Restricted expression of transgenic HLA-DRA gene in thymic epithelial cells and its role in acquisition of T cell tolerance to self-superantigens and processed DRα-derived peptide

We have established a set of transgenic mouse lines in which the HLA-DRA gene was expressed in different cell types. In one line (DRα-24), DRαEβ^b molecules were expressed on thymic medullary and cortical epithelial cells and all lineages of bone marrow-derived antigen-presenting cells (APC) except for thymic macrophages. By contrast, expression of the molecules in another line (DRα-30) was found on thymic medullary and cortical epithelial cells but not on bone marrow-derived APC in the thymus and periphery. To evaluate the role of thymic epithelial cells in acquisition of T cell tolerance, comparative analysis of DRα-24 and DRα-30 was performed. In DRα-30, T cells expressing TcR Vβ5 and Vβ11 were eliminated to comparable levels to those in DRα-24, suggesting that expression of the DRαEβ^b molecules on thymic epithelial cells are sufficient for clonal deletion of the self-superantigen-reactive T cells. In addition, CD4⁺ T cells from DRa-30 as well as those from DRα-24 were tolerant to DRα-derived peptide/I-A^b complex expressed on spleen cells from DRα-24 even in the presence of exogenous interleukin-2. These observations suggest that expression of the DRα chain in thymic epithelial cells could induce T cell tolerance directed toward naturally processed DRα-derived peptide bound to I-A^b molecules, probably via clonal deletion of the self-reactive T cells.     

北京地区精神分裂症患者家属情感表达测查报告

目的;探讨北京地区的住院精神分裂症患者家属情感表达方式及测查方法的实用性、测查工具应用的一致性。方法：经过训练的研究人员,采用费氏修订的ＣＦＩ－ＣＶ访谈提纲,对１７１例住院精神分裂症患者家庭的２８４位家属进行访谈和录音,并将录音打印成文字资料。     

A multimethod assessment of behavioral and emotional adjustment in children with asthma

OBJECTIVE: Examine behavioral adjustment and emotion regulation among 6-year-old children with asthma and a group of healthy controls. METHOD: Subjects were 81 children with asthma and 22 healthy controls. Asthma and allergy statuses were confirmed by objective measures. Emotional and behavioral functioning were assessed through parent report, child interview, and child participation in an emotional regulation paradigm. RESULTS: Maternal report revealed more internalizing and total behavior problems for children with asthma compared to controls. Child interview and behavioral observations of emotion regulation yielded no differences between groups. Severity of asthma was related to increased emotional difficulties by clinician interview and observation but not by maternal report. CONCLUSIONS: Two groups of children with asthma who have psychological difficulties include those with increased anxiety and those with poor emotion regulation and more asthma symptoms. Different measures of child adjustment yield a complex picture of the behavioral difficulties associated with pediatric asthma.