Jalousie et envie chez l’enfant : mythe ou réalité ?

Jealousy and envy obviously occupy the time of childhood, but beyond this time, Jealousy and Envy characterize human beings, probably because behind these two emotional states lies the question of desire. Distinct from need and its physiological satisfaction, desire is endless/hungry and its satisfaction never total. Let us even go so far as to say that the best of desires is the one that has not yet been satisfied. Also, envy is at the heart of psychic functioning, as Mélanie Klein suggests, who traces it back to a much earlier stage of development than Sigmund Freud does. For the latter, envy is essentially part of the question of the difference between the sexes and condenses into “penis envy”. But in the daily clinical practice, jealousy and envy are revealed in the clearest way through fraternal relations what we have tried to develop, not without having previously recalled the multiple myths which illustrate this question.     

Game theoretical mapping of white matter contributions to visuospatial attention in stroke patients with hemineglect

White matter bundles linking gray matter nodes are key anatomical players to fully characterize associations between brain systems and cognitive functions. Here we used a multivariate lesion inference approach grounded in coalitional game theory (multiperturbation Shapley value analysis, MSA) to infer causal contributions of white matter bundles to visuospatial orienting of attention. Our work is based on the characterization of the lesion patterns of 25 right hemisphere stroke patients and the causal analysis of their impact on three neuropsychological tasks: line bisection, letter cancellation, and bells cancellation. We report that, out of the 11 white matter bundles included in our MSA coalitions, the optic radiations, the inferior fronto‐occipital fasciculus and the anterior cingulum were the only tracts to display task‐invariant contributions (positive, positive, and negative, respectively) to the tasks. We also report task‐dependent influences for the branches of the superior longitudinal fasciculus and the posterior cingulum. By extending prior findings to white matter tracts linking key gray matter nodes, we further characterize from a network perspective the anatomical basis of visual and attentional orienting processes. The knowledge about interactions patterns mediated by white matter tracts linking cortical nodes of attention orienting networks, consolidated by further studies, may help develop and customize brain stimulation approaches for the rehabilitation of visuospatial neglect.     

Commentary: The complexity of family dynamics in child anxiety disorders — a commentary on Breinholst et al. (2018)

Breinholst et al. explore the impact of parental behaviour and parent–child attachment on child anxiety disorders. They show that maternal variables did not predict child anxiety, while insecure attachment to the father was a significant contributor. But can we really say it's down to dad? The importance of including fathers in both research and clinical work on child anxiety disorders certainly needs to be highlighted, but family dynamics are complex, and we need careful study designs which can capture some of this complexity in order to shed light on the most important targets for intervention.     

“I used to be an addict. I’m still an addict. I’m always going to be a recovering addict”: Understanding the challenges of individuals seeking recovery

Background and Objective: Although preventable, substance addiction has become one of the most prominent public health problems facing the nation. As a result, treatment programs and centers have focused resources and efforts on aiding individuals on their path to long-term recovery. However, the constant threat, reinforced by high incidence, of relapse presents a major obstacle to long-term recovery. Relapse prevention programs are designed to target social and psychological factors contributing to lapses in sobriety. Yet, the exact factors that can impact long-term recovery and prevent or lower the instances of relapse are not always clear. The current study explores the major contributors to relapse as experienced in a male residential treatment center.

Methods: The data were gathered through 31 in-depth interviews in a residential halfway house treatment facility for substance use recovery.

Results: The results of the study underscored social support and interpersonal relationships as major factors impacting long-term recovery. More specifically, lack of efficacy in managing interpersonal relationships and building new support networks were identified as essential barriers to long-term recovery.

Conclusions: The management of interpersonal relationships seems to be a key to long-term recovery, which emphasizes the need for strategies that underscore the development of positive relationships that will strengthen resistance to relapse and long-term recovery.     

海南地不容生物碱抑制肿瘤细胞增殖及构效关系解析

目的研究海南地不容(Stephania hainanensis H.S.Lo et Y.Tsoong)生物碱对人肝癌细胞Hep G-2、乳腺癌细胞MCF-7、胃癌细胞SGC-7901增殖的影响,筛选出有效的抗肿瘤化合物以及其敏感细胞株;分析其生物碱的构效关系。方法采用MTT法检测不同浓度的海南地不容生物碱对人肝癌细胞Hep G-2、乳腺癌细胞MCF-7、胃癌细胞SGC-7901增殖的抑制率;通过查阅国内外相关文献,分析海南地不容生物碱抗肿瘤活性的基本构效关系。结果MTT结果显示荷包牡丹碱、氧化克班宁、去甲荷包牡丹碱和克班宁对人肝癌Hep G-2、乳腺癌MCF-7和胃癌SGC-7901细胞的增值分别具有不同程度的剂量依赖性的抑制作用,各给药组分吸光度值与空白对照组比具有显著性差异(P<0.01),与阳性对照比较无明显统计学差异(P>0.05);海南地不容生物碱结构中的1,2-亚甲二氧基、N-亚甲基等取代基以及其化学结构的平面性对其抗肿瘤活性有重要影响。结论海南地不容中具有明显抗肿瘤作用的生物碱为荷包牡丹碱、氧化克班宁、去甲荷包牡丹碱和克班宁,其敏感细胞株均为乳腺癌细胞MCF-7;通过分析海南地不容生物碱的结构和抗肿瘤活性的关系,初步明确了其抗肿瘤活性可能与其结构易于抑制DNA拓扑异构酶和诱导细胞凋亡有关。     

The role of the ventral striatum in inflammatory-induced approach toward support figures

Although considerable research has shown that inflammation leads to social withdrawal more generally, it is also possible that inflammation leads to social approach when it comes to close others. Whereas it may be adaptive to withdraw from strangers when sick, it may be beneficial to seek out close others for assistance, protection, or care when sick. However, this possibility has never been explored in humans nor have the neural substrates of these behavioral changes. Based on the role of the ventral striatum (VS) in responding to: (1) the anticipation of and motivation to approach rewarding outcomes and (2) viewing social support figures, the VS may also be involved in sickness-induced approach toward support figures. Thus, the goal of the present study was to examine whether inflammation leads to a greater desire to approach support figures and greater VS activity to viewing support figures. To examine this, 63 participants received either placebo or low-dose endotoxin, which safely triggers an inflammatory response. Participants reported how much they desired to be around a self-identified support figure, and viewed pictures of that support figure while undergoing an fMRI scan to assess reward-related neural activity. In line with hypotheses, endotoxin (vs. placebo) led participants to report a greater desire to be around their support figure. In addition, endotoxin (vs. placebo) led to greater VS activity to images of support figures (vs. strangers), and greater increases in inflammation (IL-6 levels) were associated with greater increases in VS activity. Together, these results reveal a possible neural mechanism important for sickness-induced social approach and highlight the need for a more nuanced view of changes in social behavior during sickness.     

Buffering effect of positive parent–child relationships on adolescent risk taking: A longitudinal neuroimaging investigation

Adolescence is marked by a steep increase in risk-taking behavior. The serious consequences of such heightened risk taking raise the importance of identifying protective factors. Despite its dynamic change during adolescence, family relationships remain a key source of influence for teenagers. Using a longitudinal fMRI approach, we scanned 23 adolescents twice across a 1.5-year period to examine how changes in parent–child relationships contribute to changes in adolescent risk taking over time via changes in adolescents’ neural reactivity to rewards. Results indicate that although parent–child relationships are not associated with adolescent risk taking concurrently, increases in positive parent–child relationships contribute to declines in adolescent risk taking. This process is mediated by longitudinal decreases in ventral striatum activation to rewards during risk taking. Findings highlight the neural pathways through which improvements in positive parent–child relationships serve to buffer longitudinal increases in adolescent risk taking.     

Coumarin-containing hybrids and their antibacterial activities

Infections caused by Gram-positive and -negative bacteria are one of the foremost causes of morbidity and mortality globally. Antibiotics are the mainstay of therapy for bacterial infections, but the emergence and wide spread of drug-resistant pathogens have already become a huge issue for public healthcare systems. The coumarin moiety, which is ubiquitous in nature, could bind to the B subunit of DNA gyrase in bacteria and inhibit DNA supercoiling by blocking the ATPase activity; hence, coumarin derivatives possess potential antibacterial activity. Several coumarin-containing hybrids such as coumermycin A1, clorobiocin, and novobiocin have already been used in clinical practice for the treatment of various bacterial infections; thus, it is conceivable that hybridization of the coumarin moiety with other antibacterial pharmacophores may provide opportunities for the development of novel antibiotics. This review outlines the advances in coumarin-containing hybrids with antibacterial potential in the recent 5 years and the structure–activity relationships are also discussed.     

The relationship between early maladaptive schemas and interpersonal problems: A meta‐analytic review

Early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) have been hypothesized to be associated with interpersonal problems. Furthermore, a stronger contention is that EMSs impact negatively on, or cause, interpersonal problems. The aims of this meta‐analysis were (a) to assess the strength of the association between EMSs and interpersonal problems, (b) clarify which EMSs are most strongly associated with interpersonal problems, (c) examine any possible moderators on the relationship between EMSs and interpersonal problems, and (d) examine whether any empirical evidence exists supporting a causal relationship between EMSs and interpersonal problems. A comprehensive systematic literature search and meta‐analysis were conducted using the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews. A total of 49 empirical studies were reviewed investigating EMSs and interpersonal problems. EMSs were found to have a moderate positive association with interpersonal problems with different EMSs having small to moderate effect sizes. To date, there has been limited evidence supporting a causal effect of EMSs on interpersonal problems. Possible limitations and avenues for future research were discussed.