Absence of Correlation Between the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat's Exaggerated Preference for Sweet and Alcohol Drinking Solutions

We tested the hypothesis that the exaggerated preference of the spontaneously hypertensive rat of the Okamoto strain (SHR) for alcohol-containing drinking solutions is due to its exaggerated preference for the purported sweet subtaste of alcohol. To do, this we examined in SHR (and Brown Norway (BN) controls) whether preferences for alcohol and glucose-drinking solutions were correlated. No significant correlation was found between alcohol and glucose preference in either the SHR or BN. We conclude therefore that the exaggerated alcohol preference of the SHR is not due to an exaggerated preference for the purported sweet subtaste of alcohol.     

Editorial Perspective: The importance of considering parent's preferences when planning treatment for their children – the case of childhood obsessive‐compulsive disorder

Assessing parental treatment preference is critical for maximizing alliance, adherence, and efficacy while minimizing patient attrition. Parents of youth with OCD report significantly higher preference for and acceptability of behavioral treatment over medication or combined treatment. Parents of younger children expressed lower acceptability of pharmacotherapy. Consistent concerns about medication safety were expressed.     

“Who am I to disagree?” A qualitative study of how patients interpret the consent process prior to manual therapy of the cervical spine

BackgroundClinical practice standards dictate a requirement for osteopaths to gain informed consent prior to any examination or treatment. Despite previous research on adverse events, communication and patient preferences, no published studies were identified that looked qualitatively at patients experiences of informed consent. This study aimed to explore patient perceptions of the consent process in a student-led osteopathy clinic.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were carried out with a purposive sample of seven patients attending a student osteopathy clinic. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and constructivist grounded theory was used as a framework for data collection, conceptualisation and analysis.ResultsOne core theme was identified to highlight participants' perception of a hierarchical power-divide. Three further themes were constructed to illustrate perceived key influencers of the consent experience: commitment to symptom resolution; lack of knowledge and; unwilling to cause friction.ConclusionsPatients’ experiences of consent were unified through the core theme of situational disempowerment, questioning the efficacy of current informed consent processes. This study has implications for further research into patient and practitioner perceptions and highlights a need for additional training and reflection on existing communication strategies and consent practices.     

Can Energy Drinks Increase the Desire for More Alcohol?

Energy drinks, the fastest growing segment in the beverage market, have become popular mixers with alcohol. The emerging research examining the use of alcohol mixed with energy drinks (AmEDs) indicates that the combination of caffeine-containing energy drinks with alcohol may be riskier than the use of alcohol alone. The public health concerns arising from AmED use are documented in different research domains. Epidemiologic studies reveal that the consumption of AmEDs is frequent among young and underage drinkers, demographic groups that are more likely to experience the harms and hazards associated with alcohol use. In addition, for all consumers, elevated rates of binge drinking and risk of alcohol dependence have been associated with AmED use when compared to alcohol alone. Results from laboratory studies help explain why AmED use is associated with excessive intake of alcohol. When an energy drink (or caffeine) is combined with alcohol, the desire (or urge) to drink more alcohol is more pronounced in both humans and animals than with the same dose of alcohol alone. The experience of drinking alcohol appears to be more rewarding when combined with energy drinks. Given that caffeine in other foods and beverages increases preference for those products, further research on AmEDs may elucidate the underlying mechanisms that contribute to alcohol dependence.     

How directional change in reading/writing habits relates to directional change in displayed pictures

It has been suggested that reading/writing habits may influence the appreciation of pictures. For example, people who read and write in a rightward direction have an aesthetic preference for pictures that face rightward over pictures that face leftward, and vice versa. However, correlations for this phenomenon have only been found in cross-cultural studies. Will a directional change in reading/writing habits within a culture relate to changes in picture preference? Korea is a good place to research this question because the country underwent gradual changes in reading/writing direction habits, from leftward to rightward, during the 20th century. In this study, we analyzed the direction of drawings and photos published in the two oldest newspapers in Korea from 1920–2013. The results show that the direction of the drawings underwent a clear shift from the left to the right, but the direction of the photos did not change. This finding suggests a close psychological link between the habits of reading/writing and drawing that cannot be accounted for simply by an accidental correspondence across different cultures.     

Shape and mechanics in thalattosuchian (Crocodylomorpha) skulls: implications for feeding behaviour and niche partitioning

Variation in modern crocodilian and extinct thalattosuchian crocodylomorph skull morphology is only weakly correlated with phylogeny, implying that factors other than evolutionary proximity play important roles in determining crocodile skull shape. To further explore factors potentially influencing morphological differentiation within the Thalattosuchia, we examine teleosaurid and metriorhynchid skull shape variation within a mechanical and dietary context using a combination of finite element modelling and multivariate statistics. Patterns of stress distribution through the skull were found to be very similar in teleosaurid and metriorhynchid species, with stress peaking at the posterior constriction of the snout and around the enlarged supratemporal fenestrae. However, the magnitudes of stresses differ, with metriorhynchids having generally stronger skulls. As with modern crocodilians, a strong linear relationship between skull length and skull strength exists, with short‐snouted morphotypes experiencing less stress through the skull than long‐snouted morphotypes under equivalent loads. Selection on snout shape related to dietary preference was found to work in orthogonal directions in the two families: diet is associated with snout length in teleosaurids and with snout width in metriorhynchids, suggesting that teleosaurid skulls were adapted for speed of attack and metriorhynchid skulls for force production. Evidence also indicates that morphological and functional differentiation of the skull occurred as a result of dietary preference, allowing closely related sympatric species to exploit a limited environment. Comparisons of the mechanical performance of the thalattosuchian skull with extant crocodilians show that teleosaurids and long‐snouted metriorhynchids exhibit stress magnitudes similar to or greater than those of long‐snouted modern forms, whereas short‐snouted metriorhynchids display stress magnitudes converging on those found in short‐snouted modern species. As a result, teleosaurids and long‐snouted metriorhynchids were probably restricted to lateral attacks of the head and neck, but short‐snouted metriorhynchids may have been able to employ the grasp and shake and/or ‘death roll’ feeding and foraging behaviours.     

NAc Shell Arc/Arg3.1 Protein Mediates Reconsolidation of Morphine CPP by Increased GluR1 Cell Surface Expression: Activation of ERK-Coupled CREB is Required

Background:

Relapse into drug abuse evoked by reexposure to the drug-associated context has been a primary problem in the treatment of drug addiction. Disrupting the reconsolidation of drug-related context memory would therefore limit the relapse susceptibility.

Methods:

Morphine conditioned place preference (CPP) was used to assess activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc/Arg3.1) and correlative molecule expression in the Nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell during the reconsolidation of morphine CPP. U0126 and Arc/Arg3.1 antisense oligodeoxynucleotide were adapted to evaluate the role and the underlying mechanism of Arc/Arg3.1 during the reconsolidation.

Results:

The retrieval of morphine CPP in rats specifically increased the Arc/Arg3.1 protein level in the NAc shell, accompanied simultaneously by increases in the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (pERK1/2), the phosphorylation of Cyclic Adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response element-binding (pCREB), and the up-regulation of the membrane α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate (AMPA) receptors GluR1 subunit level. Intra-NAc shell infusion U0126, an inhibitor of the Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK), prevented the retrieval-induced up-regulation of pERK1/2, pCREB, Arc/Arg3.1, and membrane GluR1 immediately after retrieval of morphine CPP. The effect of disrupting the reconsolidation of morphine CPP by U0126 could last for at least 14 days, and could not be evoked by a priming injection of morphine. Furthermore, the specific knockdown of Arc/Arg3.1 in the NAc shell decreased the membrane GluR1 level, and impaired both the reconsolidation and the reinstatement of morphine CPP.

Conclusions:

Arc/Arg3.1 in the NAc shell mediates the reconsolidation of morphine-associated context memory via up-regulating the level of membrane of GluR1, for which the local activation of the ERK-CREB signal pathway, as an upstream mechanism of Arc/Arg3.1, is required.     

Alcohol intake and diet in France, the prominent role of lifestyle.

AIM: Moderate alcohol intake is related to a decrease of coronary heart disease. This protective effect may be attributed to ethanol but may also depend on the type of alcoholic beverages. However, these differences may be confounded by lifestyle and diet. We investigated the relationships between alcohol consumption, beverage type preference and socio-economic status, diet and lifestyle. METHODS AND RESULTS: A cross-sectional survey on cardiovascular risk factors and nutrition was carried out from 1995 to 1997 by the French MONICA Centres. A sample of 1110 middle-aged men (45-64 years) was randomly recruited; 12.8% of men were abstainers and 16.3% reported a consumption of #10878;60 g/d alcohol. Smoking, waist-to-hip ratio and hypertension increased along with the amount of alcohol intake. Physical activity (from 40.9% in abstainers to 23.8% in heavy drinkers, p=0.0025), educational level (from 11.9+/-4.4 to 11.1+/-3.8 years, p=0.01), socio-economic status and diet quality index (from 7.1+/-2.3 to 6.3+/-2.0, p<0.0001 after multivariate adjustment) decreased along with the increase of alcohol consumption and were higher among wine drinkers than among beer or mixed drinkers. Diet quality index was 7.1+/-1.9, 6.4+/-1.8 and 6.6+/-1.9 among wine, beer and mixed drinkers, respectively (p=0.007 after multivariate adjustment). CONCLUSION: Moderate alcohol drinkers or wine drinkers have healthy diet and behaviours compared to other drinkers or abstainers. The living area plays a significant role in the dieting behaviours.