Influence of emotional content and context on memory in mild Alzheimer's disease

Healthy subjects remember emotional stimuli better than neutral, as well as stimuli embedded in an emotional context. This better memory of emotional messages is linked to an amygdalo-hippocampal cooperation taking place in a larger fronto-temporal network particularly sensitive to pathological aging. Amygdala is mainly involved in gist memory of emotional messages. Whether emotional content or context enhances memory in mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients is still debated. The aim of the present study is to examine the influence of emotional content and emotional context on the memory in mild AD, and whether this influence is linked to amygdala volume. Fifteen patients affected by mild AD and 15 age-matched controls were submitted to series of negative, positive, and neutral pictures. Each series was embedded in an emotional or neutral sound context. At the end of each series, participants had to freely recall pictures, and answer questions about each picture. Amygdala volumes were measured on patient 3D-MRI scans. In the present study, emotional content significantly favored memory of gist but not of details in healthy elderly and in AD patients. Patients' amygdala volume was positively correlated to emotional content memory effect, implying a reduced memory benefit from emotional content when amygdala was atrophied. A positive context enhanced memory of pictures in healthy elderly, but not in AD, corroborating early fronto-temporal dysfunction and early working memory limitation in this disease.     

Microsatellite loci for Symbiodinium goreaui and other Clade C Symbiodinium

The genus Symbiodinium comprises a diverse group of dinoflagellates known for their obligate relationship with reef–building corals. Members of the sub-genus ‘clade C’ are abundant, geographically wide-spread, as well as genetically and ecologically diverse. Coral colonies harboring clade C are often the most exposed to physical stressors. The genotypic diversity, dispersal and genetic connectivity exhibited by these Symbiodinium are the subjects of an increasing number of population genetic studies utilizing microsatellites. Here we describe 18 new microsatellite loci and test their utility across four common clade C types. We obtained multi-locus genotypes with individual level resolution in each of these types. Our results indicate that multi-locus genotypes can be obtained for many members of clade C using a subset of these markers. Data from these markers may assess population dynamics during coral bleaching and recovery as well as resolve boundaries to genetic recombination among these closely related, yet ecologically distinct, lineages.     

Epididymal sparing bilateral simple orchiectomy with epididymoplasty: preservation of esthetics and body image

PURPOSE: We report the surgical technique and results of epididymal sparing bilateral simple orchiectomy as an esthetic alternative to standard bilateral simple orchiectomy and luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LH-RH) agonist injection therapy in patients with prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 91 consecutive epididymal sparing bilateral simple orchiectomy (BSO) procedures that were performed at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center during a 25-month period. All patients had pathologically confirmed prostate cancer. A total of 52 patients (57.1%) were receiving LH-RH agonist therapy prior to the procedure and the remaining 39 (42.9%) were not. All procedures were performed in an outpatient clinic setting using spermatic cord anesthesia block as the only method of anesthesia. In the 52 patients who were on LH-RH agonist therapy prior to the procedure the overall impression/satisfaction with the procedure was evaluated using a questionnaire. RESULTS: All 91 procedures were performed at the urology outpatient clinic using local anesthesia. Mean patient age was 74.2 years (range 44 to 86). Mean serum prostate specific antigen was 58.9 ng/ml. The mean time required to perform the spermatic cord anesthesia block was 3.9 minutes (range 2 to 6) and the volume of anesthetic solution was 18.9 ml per case (range 10 to 32). Despite significant difference in testicular size between patients receiving and not receiving LH/RH agonists there were no differences in anesthesia time or anesthetic volume (3.9 and 3.9 minutes, p = 0.97, and 18.6 and 19.4 ml, respectively, p = 0.47). Mean operative time for BSO excluding anesthesia time was 36.9 minutes (range 18 to 70). Mean operative time was similar in patients receiving and not receiving LH-RH agonists (36.2 and 37.8 minutes, respectively, p = 0.39). The procedure was well tolerated, as judged by the mean intraoperative pain score during BSO of 0.2 (range 0 to 3). The majority of patients (76 or 83.5%) were pain-free during the procedure. Pain scores were similar in patients who were and were not receiving LH-RH agonists during BSO (p = 0.97). There were no adverse events. Followup data were available on 26 of the 52 patients who were receiving LH-RH agonist therapy prior to the procedure. Of them 96.2% were satisfied with the results and 84.6% preferred the procedure over medical castration therapy with LH-RH agonist therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Epididymal sparing bilateral simple orchiectomy is a simple and safe procedure that can be conveniently performed in an outpatient clinic setting using pure local anesthesia. Preservation of the epididymis and subsequent epididymoplasty is effective for maintaining the esthetic appearance of the scrotum and patient satisfaction. The procedure offers patients the convenience of 1-time surgical therapy over lifelong medical injection therapy at a significantly lower cost and without significantly compromising the esthetic appearance of the scrotum.     

Asian American Women and Alcohol-Related Problems: The Role of Multidimensional Feminine Norms

Increasing rates of heavy episodic drinking (HED; four or more drinks in one sitting) and alcohol use disorders among young adult Asian American women signify the need to identify the risk and protective factors for HED and alcohol-related problems in this demographic. Multidimensional feminine norms, or the beliefs and expectations of what it means to be a woman, are theoretically relevant factors that may help elucidate within-group variability in HED and alcohol-related problems. The present study examined associations between nine salient feminine norms, HED, and alcohol-related problems among 398 second-generation Asian American college women. Our findings reveal that certain feminine norms are protective of HED and alcohol-related problems, while others are risk factors, even when controlling for well-established correlates of HED and alcohol-related problems, such as perceived peer drinking norms. The results elucidate the importance of multidimensional feminine norms and their relationship to HED and alcohol-related problems among the increasingly at-risk group, Asian American college women.