Low Dose Bexarotene Treatment Rescues Dopamine Neurons and Restores Behavioral Function in Models of Parkinson’s Disease

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The plasticity of social emotions

Social emotions such as empathy or compassion greatly facilitate our interactions with others. Despite the importance of social emotions, scientific studies have only recently revealed functional neural plasticity associated with the training of such emotions. Using the framework of two antagonistic neural systems, the threat and social disconnection system on the one hand, and the reward and social connection system on the other, this article describes how training compassion and empathy can change the functioning of these systems in a targeted manner. Whereas excessive empathic sharing of suffering can increase negative feelings and activations in the insula and anterior cingulate cortex (corresponding to the threat and social disconnection system), compassion training can strengthen positive affect and neural activations in the medial orbitofrontal cortex and striatum (corresponding to the reward and social connection system). These neuroimaging findings are complemented by results from behavioral studies showing that compassion is linked to helping and forgiveness behavior, whereas empathic distress not only decreases helping behavior, but is even associated with increased aggressive behavior. Taken together, these data provide encouraging evidence for the plasticity of adaptive social emotions with wide-ranging implications for basic science and applied settings.     

How the social brain experiences empathy: Summary of a gathering

Explaining how, and even why, the social brain experiences empathy is a complex integrative endeavor that has been explored by scientists of several disciplines working with both animal and human subjects. Current thoughts on empathy and its connection to behavior—prosocial, altruistic, and cruel alike—were explored by scholars in the fields of biology, philosophy, psychology, and anthropology at a conference in Chicago. The speakers' individually unique perspectives merged to provide an inclusive overview of the biological basis of, and cultural influences upon, empathy. The nature of empathy in nonhuman animals, the endocrine requirements for empathy, the effects of empathy on moral behavior, the social nature of pain, the relation between empathy and altruism, the ethnography of empathy, and empathy in the medical setting were discussed. The interdisciplinary nature of the conference demonstrated the advantages of communicating findings across fields while also delineating the difficulties that can stem from the existence of multiple approaches to, and definitions of, empathy. Future progress will be aided by working toward common definitions for empathy, sympathy, altruism, and so on, in concert with cross-disciplinary dialogues that allow practitioners of each discipline to be informed by paradigms and findings from complementary disciplines.     

Promoting adaptive behaviors by two girls with Rett syndrome through a microswitch-based program

We assessed a microswitch-based program to improve self-determination to access to preferred stimuli and to foster locomotor behavior by two girls with Rett syndrome and multiple disabilities. To enhance the first behavior (access to preferred stimuli) a wobble microswitch (sensitive touch sensor) was used while for the second behavior (step responses) optic sensors were applied. A second aim of the study was to monitor indices of happiness as consequence of the use of assistive technology. Finally, a third objective of the study was the reduction of hand washing and body rocking related stereotypies. The study was carried out according to a multiple probe design across behaviors for both participants, where the two behaviors were first learned independently, then combined together. Results showed an increasing of performance and of indices of happiness and a decreasing of stereotyped behaviors for both participants during intervention phases. Practical, psychological and clinical implications of the findings are discussed.     

Multiaxial mechanical response and constitutive modeling of esophageal tissues: Impact on esophageal tissue engineering

Congenital defects of the esophagus are relatively frequent, with 1 out of 2500 babies suffering from such a defect. A new method of treatment by implanting tissue engineered esophagi into newborns is currently being developed and tested using ovine esophagi. For the reconstruction of the biological function of native tissues with engineered esophagi, their cellular structure as well as their mechanical properties must be considered. Since very limited mechanical and structural data for the esophagus are available, the aim of this study was to investigate the multiaxial mechanical behavior of the ovine esophagus and the underlying microstructure. Therefore, uniaxial tensile, biaxial tensile and extension-inflation tests on esophagi were performed. The underlying microstructure was examined in stained histological sections through standard optical microscopy techniques. Moreover, the uniaxial ultimate tensile strength and residual deformations of the tissue were determined. Both the mucosa-submucosa and the muscle layers showed nonlinear and anisotropic mechanical behavior during uniaxial, biaxial and inflation testing. Cyclical inflation of the intact esophageal tube caused marked softening of the passive esophagi in the circumferential direction. The rupture strength of the mucosa-submucosa layer was much higher than that of the muscle layer. Overall, the ovine esophagus showed a heterogeneous and anisotropic behavior with different mechanical properties for the individual layers. The intact and layer-specific multiaxial properties were characterized using a well-known three-dimensional microstructurally based strain-energy function. This novel and complete set of data serves the basis for a better understanding of tissue remodeling in diseased esophagi and can be used to perform computer simulations of surgical interventions or medical-device applications.     

A 137‐kb deletion within the Potocki–Shaffer syndrome interval on chromosome 11p11.2 associated with developmental delay and hypotonia

Potocki–Shaffer syndrome (PSS) is a rare disorder caused by haploinsufficiency of genes located on the proximal short arm of chromosome 11 (11p11.2p12). Classic features include biparietal foramina, multiple exostoses, profound hypotonia, dysmorphic features, and developmental delay/intellectual disability. Fewer than 40 individuals with PSS have been reported, with variable clinical presentations due in part to disparity in deletion sizes. We report on a boy who presented for initial evaluation at age 13 months because of a history of developmental delay, hypotonia, subtle dysmorphic features, and neurobehavioral abnormalities. SNP microarray analysis identified a 137 kb deletion at 11p11.2, which maps within the classically defined PSS interval. This deletion results in haploinsufficiency for all or portions of six OMIM genes: SLC35C1, CRY2, MAPK8IP1, PEX16, GYLTL1B, and PHF21A. Recently, translocations interrupting PHF21A have been associated with intellectual disability and craniofacial anomalies similar to those seen in PSS. The identification of this small deletion in a child with developmental delay and hypotonia provides further evidence for the genetic basis of developmental disability and identifies a critical region sufficient to cause hypotonia in this syndrome. Additionally, this case illustrates the utility of high resolution genomic approaches in correlating clinical phenotypes with specific genes in contiguous gene deletion syndromes. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

单针骨水泥技术治疗老年椎体压缩骨折的临床分析

目的探讨单针经单侧椎弓根经皮椎体成形术（percutaneous vertebroplasty,PVP）治疗老年人新鲜胸腰椎骨折的方法及临床疗效。方法将2010年3月～2011年9月治疗胸腰椎骨折100例110椎,分为两组,A组50例60椎行单针经单侧椎弓根PVP术,B组50例50椎行经双侧椎弓根PVP术。两组均行术前及术后进行疼痛视觉模拟评分（visual analoguescale,VAS）、活动能力评分（locomotor activityscale,LAS）、椎体前后缘高度比及两组间骨水泥注入量、骨水泥渗漏及手术时间进行比较。结果两组术前与术后2天VAS评分、LAS评分及椎体前后缘高度比均有显著差异,症状改善明显（P〈0．01）;两组平均随访时间6．5个月,患者术后骨折椎体无疼痛,复查X线片显示术后6月与术后2天椎体前后缘高度比无明显差异（P〉0．05）。A组平均单椎体手术时间20．1min,注入骨水泥2．8ml（2-4．5m1）;B组手术时间35．2min,注入骨水泥3．7ml（2．5～6ml）。两组间平均单椎体手术时间及平均骨水泥注入量均有明显差异（P〈0．05）。两组发生骨水泥渗漏情况为椎间盘渗漏A组5例、B组6例,椎旁渗漏A组7例、B组7例,无严重并发症发生,两组骨水泥渗漏发生率无显著差异（P〉0．05）。结论单针骨水泥技术可即刻缓解疼痛,恢复伤椎高度,提高患者的活动能力,明显缩短手术时间,降低住院费用及X线暴露时间,是一种微创、安全、有效的治疗老年人新鲜胸腰椎骨折的技术。     

Hepcidin对小鼠脑组织中铁沉积及运动行为能力的影响

目的：观察hepcidin对小鼠脑组织铁沉积及运动行为能力的影响,并探讨其作用机制。方法：将雌雄各半的昆明小鼠随机分为7组,分别为空白对照组、铁负荷组（2mg·ml^-1、1mg·ml^-1、0.5mg·ml^-1）、hepcidin 5μg＋铁负荷组（2mg·ml^-1、1mg·ml^-1、0.5mg·ml^-1）,以不同浓度的右旋糖酐铁隔日大腿肌肉注射建立铁过载模型。8周后,血细胞计数仪检测血液中血红蛋白含量,全自动生化分析仪检测血清铁含量,试剂盒检测血清中转铁蛋白（Tf）和总铁结合力（TIBC）;原子吸收光谱法检测测定脑组织中铁的含量;ROS试剂盒检测脑组织中活性氧簇（Reactive oxygen species,ROS）含量;Morris水迷宫实验观察小鼠运动行为的改变。结果：与空白对照组比较,铁负荷组小鼠血清铁及血红蛋白含量明显增加,转铁蛋白（Tf）和总铁结合力（TIBC）明显减少,小脑、中脑和纹状体中铁含量和ROS明显升高,且呈剂量依赖性;Morris水迷宫实验结果显示,铁负荷组小鼠与空白对照组比较,平均逃逸时间明显增加,而靶象限活动时间明显下降（p〈0.05）;而hepcidin组均出现相反方向变化：hepcidin组小鼠平均逃逸时间明显下降,而靶象限活动时间明显增加。结论：铁过负荷对小鼠小脑、中脑和纹状体造成明显毒性损害,并引起脑的氧化应激,认知行为和空间记忆力下降;而hepcidin可抑制铁负荷引起的脑铁沉积和运动行为能力变化。     

Impulsive versus reflective influences on health behavior: a theoretical framework and empirical review

Abstract

Often, health behavior seems to be governed not only by reasoned attitudes and goal-directed behavior but also by impulsive influences. The notion of a conflict between reflective and impulsive processing which is incorporated in prominent dual-system accounts (e.g., Metcalfe & Mischel, 1999 Metcalfe, J. and Mischel, W. 1999. A hot/cool system analysis of delay of gratification: Dynamics of willpower. Psychological Review, 106: 3–19. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Strack & Deutsch, 2004 Strack, F. and Deutsch, R. 2004. Reflective and impulsive determinants of social behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 8: 220–247. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) may yield important benefits for the understanding and prediction of health-related behavior. In this article, we suggest a basic framework for the prediction of health-related behavior which combines (a) reflective influences (as measured via self-report), (b) impulsive influences (as measured via implicit measures), and (c) situational or dispositional moderators that shift the weight between reflective and impulsive influences. The practical utility of such a framework is demonstrated by drawing on recent evidence from several areas of health psychology such as eating, drinking, drug abuse, and sexual behavior. Implications for the understanding of health behavior and applied health interventions are discussed.