Kognitive Repr?sentation, Coping-Verhalten und soziale Integration von Hundertj?hrigen

Der Beitrag geht zun?chst der Frage nach, ob die kognitive Repr?sentation im Sinne von Thomae eine vermittelnde Funktion in der Reaktion auf eine Situation auch bei extrem langlebigen Personen (Hundertj?hrigen) einnimmt. Weiterhin wird Thomaes ursprüngliches Repr?sentationsAnpassungsModell auf eine Kriteriumsvariable, soziale Integration, angewendet. Das erweiterte Modell wird dann dazu benutzt, die Effektivit?t von Anpassungsprozessen im h?chsten Alter zu überprüfen. Dazu wurden 8 M?nner und 32 Frauen im Alter von 100 bis 104 Jahren mit einem halbstandardisierten Interview untersucht. Auf dieser Basis wurden Indikatoren der funktionalen Gesundheit, der kognitiven Repr?sentation, des Coping-Verhaltens und der sozialen Integration geratet. Zus?tzlich wurde die funktionale Gesundheit durch Verhaltensbeobachtung und Arztbefragung eingesch?tzt. Ergebnisse von Strukturgleichungsmodellen belegen, da? die kognitive Repr?sentation auch bei Hundertj?hrigen eine vermittelnde Funktion ausübt, Coping-Verhalten ein wichtiger Pr?diktor für soziale Integration ist und auch am Ende der menschlichen Lebensspanne Anpassungsprozesse effektiv sind, wenn auch eingeschr?nkt. Bei der Bew?ltigung von Aufgaben und Belastungen im h?chsten Alter werden mehrere psychische Prozesse aktiviert, die sowohl auf Ver?nderungen in der Person, als auch auf Verbesserungen der Situation abzielen.     

Influence of Specimen Age and Use of Different Negative Controls in Determination of Intracytoplasmic Levels of Cytokines after Whole-Blood Culture Assay

Intracytoplasmic detection of cytokines by flow cytometry has become a powerful tool in the characterization of cytokine-producing cells. However, it is not known to what extent specimen age and the use of various negative controls may influence the amount of cytokine-positive cells. We therefore compared different times of storage and the use of several negative controls in the determination of intracytoplasmic levels of cytokines. There was a substantial decline of interleukin-2- and gamma interferon-positive lymphocytes after 20 h and especially after 48 h of storage. The precision of intracytoplasmic interleukin-6 determination decreases after long-term storage compared to 2 h of storage, whereas the amount of interleukin-8-positive monocytes remained rather stable. Therefore, we recommend performing the analysis as fast as possible after the blood sample is drawn. Under consideration of isotype-matched antibodies and nonstimulated cells as negative controls instead of the purified antibody-blocking control, strikingly higher amounts of interleukin-2-, gamma interferon, interleukin-6-, and interleukin-8-positive cells were found. For a meaningful interpretation of data these differences have to be kept in mind. Further studies should evaluate the exact specificity of these controls.     

Tuberous sclerosis in two sibs of normal parents

We report on a family with two sibs suffering from tuberous sclerosis. The parents were normal in all clinical tests including Wood's light examination of the skin, ophthalmoscopy, X-ray computerized tomography of brain, liver, and kidneys, cardiac echography and MR imaging of the brain. The most likely explanation is a germinal cell mosaic in one of the parents. A recurrence risk of 20 to 37% seems appropriate. The implications for risk assessment of sporadic cases are emphasized.     

Effects of gene delivery on collateral development in chronic hypoperfusion: diverse effects of angiopoietin-1 versus vascular endothelial growth factor

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this research was to test the effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) on adult hypoperfused tissues. BACKGROUND: Angiopoietin-1 and VEGF act separately and synergistically in vascular development during embryogenesis. However, little is known regarding their relative roles in collateral development after chronic arterial obstruction and tissue ischemia in the adult. METHODS: Central and caudal ear arteries of 32 rabbits were ligated to induce ischemia. At two months, when flow was about 65% of pre-ligation values, we injected intradermally 10(9) plaque-forming unit adenovirus with the following transgenes: Ang-1, VEGF, or a combination of both. Ear perfusion was followed up for four weeks, and vessel leakage was assessed by Evens Blue test. RESULTS: Before injection, flow was 65% of baseline, and endogenous VEGF levels in ischemic tissue were increased. Adenovirus-encoding VEGF gene (Ad.VEGF) at one week caused a visible inflammatory response associated with a 24% flow increase (p = 0.018). Adenovirus-encoding Ang-1 gene (Ad.Ang-1) increased flow 22% (p = 0.004) with no visible inflammation; Ad.VEGF caused three times as much vessel leakage as Ad.Ang-1 (142.5 +/- 38 vs. 49.5 +/- 9.8 ng Evens Blue/mg tissue; p < 0.001). However, at four weeks, compared with baseline, VEGF decreased flow 18% (p = 0.004), whereas Ang-1 increased tissue perfusion 26% (p < 0.001). This effect was abolished when Ad.Ang-1 was injected with soluble VEGF receptor [Ad.Flt(1-3)-Fc], which blocks VEGF-dependent signaling. Exogenous Ang-1 did not increase perfusion in a normally perfused ear, in which endogenous VEGF is not expressed. CONCLUSIONS: Exogenous Ang-1 enhances perfusion in hypoperfused tissues only in the presence of increased levels of endogenous VEGF. Overexpression of VEGF, however, after causing an inflammatory response, does not improve collateral blood flow.     

Eating Disorders and Their Putative Risk Factors Among Female German Professional Athletes

This study examines putative non‐sport‐specific and sport‐specific risk factors for eating disorders (ED) among groups of professional female athletes versus non‐athletes. In detail, societal pressure to be thin, its internalisation, body dissatisfaction, sports pressure and early specialisation were investigated. The cross‐sectional study included 46 aesthetic and 62 ball game sports athletes, and 108 age‐matched non‐athletes. Study methods comprised a clinical interview to detect ED and questionnaires. More athletes from aesthetic (17%) than from ball game sports (3%) and non‐athletes (2%) suffered from ED. Aesthetic sports athletes did not differ from non‐athletes in non‐sport‐specific factors but obtained higher levels than ball game sports athletes in sport‐specific variables (p < .01). All factors together accounted for 57.3% of variation in disordered eating, with sports pressure and body dissatisfaction as significant predictors. The results confirm ED risk for German aesthetic athletes and indicate the importance of sports pressure and body dissatisfaction in explaining athletes' vulnerability. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.     

Painful cramps and giant myotonic discharges in a family with the Nav1.4‐G1306A mutation

Introduction: Two previously reported Norwegian patients with painful muscle cramps and giant myotonic discharges were genotyped and compared with those of members of 21 families harboring the same mutation. Methods: Using primers specific for SCN4A and CLCN1, the DNA of the Norwegian family members was amplified and bidirectionally sequenced. Clinical and neurophysiological features of other families harboring the same mutation were studied. Results: A G1306A mutation in the Nav1.4 voltage‐gated sodium channel of skeletal muscle was identified. This mutation is known to cause myotonia fluctuans. No giant myotonic discharges or painful muscle cramps were found in the other G1306A families. Conclusions: Ephaptic transmission between neighboring muscle fibers may not only cause the unusual size of the myotonic discharges in this family, but also a more severe type of potassium‐aggravated myotonia than myotonia fluctuans. Muscle Nerve 52: 680–683, 2015     

Das Leben der Hochaltrigen

Demographic change is increasingly determined by development associated with very old age. The reduction of mortality in very old age will continue, so that an age between 80 and 100 years will become common. Present research findings suggest that, with respect to their physical resources, humans are not well equipped for a very long life. Very old individuals are characterized by a high prevalence of chronic diseases and functional limitations that endanger independent living. Centenarians are faced with these restrictions to a large extent. In contrast to increasing physical constraints, old and very old individuals' psyche seems to be rather robust. Well-being and valuation of life reveal only little decline up to the highest ages. Of particular importance are psychological strengths, which include adaptive strategies and self-referent convictions. They remain relatively stable even in very old age and seem to balance the effects of diseases, resource restrictions and loss.     

Interactions between bacteria and influenza A virus in the development of influenza pneumonia.

Different proteases from various microorganisms present in the respiratory tract were capable of enhancing influenza virus infectivity and pathogenicity in mice by proteolytic activation of hemagglutinin (HA). Aerococcus viridans, isolated from a patient with pneumonia, secreted a protease that could activate HA directly, similarly to some Staphylococcus aureus strains. The protease of Pseudomonas aeruginosa could not activate HA directly, but combined application of P. aeruginosa protease and virus into mice enhanced virus titers and pathogenicity. Generation of trypsin-like activity in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids resulting from this combination treatment may be responsible for HA activation. A similar indirect effect on HA activation was induced by streptokinase and staphylokinase, which are known to generate plasmin by plasminogen activation. It was concluded that plasminogen-activating streptococci and staphylococci facilitate viral replication and pathogenicity of plasmin-sensitive influenza virus strains by amplification of the plasminogen/plasmin system.