Alexithymia in Holocaust Survivors with and Without PTSD

Alexithymia was measured in non-treatment seeking, community-dwelling Holocaust survivors using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale—Twenty Item Version (TAS-20). Scores of survivors with (n = 30) and without (n = 26) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were compared, and associations among alexithymia, severity of trauma, and severity of PTSD symptoms were determined. Survivors with PTSD had significantly higher scores on the TAS-20 compared to survivors without PTSD. TAS-20 scores were significantly associated with severity of PTSD symptoms, but not with severity of trauma. This study adds to our knowledge of the relationship between alexithymia and trauma by demonstrating that this characteristic is related to the presence of posttraumatic symptoms and not simply exposure to trauma.     

Evaluation of three substitutes for Percoll in sperm isolation by density gradient centrifugation

Silane-coated silica particle solutions (ISolate(TM) and PureSperm)TM)) and iodixanol (OptiPrep(TM)) were compared to polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-coated silica particles (Percoll(TM)) in their efficacy to recover spermatozoa by gradient centrifugation for use in assisted reproductive procedures. Efficacy was assessed in terms of percentages of sperm recovery, sperm vitality and motility, normal sperm morphology and normal sperm chromatin condensation. No significant difference was found in the recovery of spermatozoa for men with both normal sperm counts and oligozoospermia, between PVP-coated and silane-coated particle solutions. Iodixanol had significantly lower sperm recovery compared to the other products. Sperm vitality, progressive motility, normal morphology and normal chromatin condensation did not differ significantly between any of the sperm isolation products.      

Mutation spectrum and genotype-phenotype analyses in Cowden disease and Bannayan-Zonana syndrome, two hamartoma syndromes with germline PTEN mutation

The tumour suppressor gene PTEN , which maps to 10q23.3 and encodes a 403 amino acid dual specificity phosphatase (protein tyrosine phosphatase; PTPase), was shown recently to play a broad role in human malignancy. Somatic PTEN deletions and mutations were observed in sporadic breast, brain, prostate and kidney cancer cell lines and in several primary tumours such as endometrial carcinomas, malignant melanoma and thyroid tumours. In addition, PTEN was identified as the susceptibility gene for two hamartoma syndromes: Cowden disease (CD; MIM 158350) and Bannayan-Zonana (BZS) or Ruvalcaba-Riley-Smith syndrome (MIM 153480). Constitutive DNA from 37 CD families and seven BZS families was screened for germline PTEN mutations. PTEN mutations were identified in 30 of 37 (81%) CD families, including missense and nonsense point mutations, deletions, insertions, a deletion/insertion and splice site mutations. These mutations were scattered over the entire length of PTEN , with the exception of the first, fourth and last exons. A 'hot spot' for PTEN mutation in CD was identified in exon 5 that contains the PTPase core motif, with 13 of 30 (43%) CD mutations identified in this exon. Seven of 30 (23%) were within the core motif, the majority (five of seven) of which were missense mutations, possibly pointing to the functional significance of this region. Germline PTEN mutations were identified in four of seven (57%) BZS families studied. Interestingly, none of these mutations was observed in the PTPase core motif. It is also worthy of note that a single nonsense point mutation, R233X, was observed in the germline DNA from two unrelated CD families and one BZS family. Genotype-phenotype studies were not performed on this small group of BZS families. However, genotype-phenotype analysis inthe group of CD families revealed two possible associations worthy of follow-up in independent analyses. The first was an association noted in the group of CD families with breast disease. A correlation was observed between the presence/absence of a PTEN mutation and the type of breast involvement (unaffected versus benign versus malignant). Specifically and more directly, an association was also observed between the presence of a PTEN mutation and malignant breast disease. Secondly, there appeared to be an interdependent association between mutations upstream and within the PTPase core motif, the core motif containing the majority of missense mutations, and the involvement of all major organ systems (central nervous system, thyroid, breast, skin and gastrointestinal tract). However, these observations would need to be confirmed by studying a larger number of CD families.      

Development of the tibial tuberosity.

The tibial tuberosity develops by a concomitant, and juxtaposed, outgrowth of hyaline cartilage and ingrowth of fibrovascular tissue. During the fetal period this hyaline cartilage outgrowth is progressively distally displaced to become situated adjacent to the anterior portion of the tibial metaphysis. About four to six months post-natally a growth plate develops under the tibial tuberosity. This growth plate shows structural adaptations that permit accommodation of large tensile stresses. The growth plate of the tibial tuberosity has three distinct regions--(a) a zone of endochondral bone formation, (b) a zone of intramembranous bone formation through fibrocartilage, and (c) a zone of intramembranous bone formation through fibrous tissue.     

Parental environment: effects on survival, growth and aggressive behaviors of 2 rodent species

The influence of the parental environment on the development of aggressive behaviors was studied in 2 muroid rodent species. Litters of southern grasshopper mice and northern white-footed mice were reared by the natural parents or were reciprocally cross-fostered soon after birth to parents of the opposite species. After weaning at 24–26 days, mice of both species were isolated and observed at 10-day intervals from 30 to 100 days of age in one of the following tests: (1) predation on house crickets; (2) interspecific aggression toward Swiss-Webster laboratory mice; and (3) intraspecific aggression toward opponents of the same gender and approximate age. Naturally reared grasshopper mice males and females displayed extremely high levels of aggressive and predatory behaviors whereas white-footed mice controls were passive and defensive in all tests. Rearing by white-footed mice foster parents resulted in a significant decrease in the aggression of grasshopper mice males and females toward laboratory mice. During intraspecific encounters, fostered grasshopper mice initiated fewer social interactions than naturally reared controls. The predatory behavior of grasshopper mice was not altered by the fostering procedure. The behavioral measures of fostered white-footed mice showed no systematic changes when compared to controls. These results indicate that the postnatal parental environment contributes to the naturally high levels of aggressive behaviors of grasshopper mice. In contrast, the limited aggressive behaviors of a naturally passive species, white-footed mice, were not increased by fostering at birth to parents of a highly aggressive species, grasshopper mice.