Alternative reproductive strategies in Formica lugubris Zett (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

A long term study on the reproductive strategies of Formica lugubris (Formica rufa group) has revealed many new important facts. Within a supercolony the sex-ratio is strongly female biased. Some of the sexuals mate on the nest surface, whereas others fly from the nest. Those sexuals participating in flights aggregate in particular meadow sites (mating places). On these places females attract males by releasing a sex pheromone.

Brain volumetric correlates of autism spectrum disorder symptoms in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms frequently occur in subjects with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While there is evidence that both ADHD and ASD have differential structural correlates, no study to date has investigated these structural correlates within a framework that robustly accounts for the phenotypic overlap between the two disorders. The presence of ASD symptoms was measured by the parent-reported Children's Social and Behavioural Questionnaire (CSBQ) in ADHD subjects (n = 180), their unaffected siblings (n = 118) and healthy controls (n = 146). ADHD symptoms were assessed by a structured interview (K-SADS-PL) and the Conners' ADHD questionnaires. Whole brain T1-weighted MPRAGE images were acquired and the structural MRI correlates of ASD symptom scores were analysed by modelling ASD symptom scores against white matter (WM) and grey matter (GM) volumes using mixed effects models which controlled for ADHD symptom levels. ASD symptoms were significantly elevated in ADHD subjects relative to both controls and unaffected siblings. ASD scores were predicted by the interaction between WM and GM volumes. Increasing ASD score was associated with greater GM volume. Equivocal results from previous structural studies in ADHD and ASD may be due to the fact that comorbidity has not been taken into account in studies to date. The current findings stress the need to account for issues of ASD comorbidity in ADHD.

Cobalamin deficiency resulting in a rare haematological disorder: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: We present the case of a patient with a cobalamin deficiency resulting in pancytopaenia, emphasizing the importance to define, diagnose and treat cobalamin deficiency. CASE PRESENTATION: A 52-year-old man from the Democratic Republic of Congo presented to the emergency department with shortness of breath and a sore tongue. Physical examination was unremarkable. His haemoglobin was low and the peripheral blood smear revealed pancytopaenia with a thrombotic microangiopathy. The findings were low cobalamin and folate levels, and high homocysteine and methylmalonate levels. Pernicious anaemia with chronic atrophic gastritis was confirmed by gastric biopsy and positive antiparietal cell and anti-intrinsic factor antibodies. Cobalamin with added folate was given. Six months later, the patient was asymptomatic. CONCLUSION: Cobalamin deficiency should always be ruled out in a patient with pancytopaenia. Our case report highlights a life-threatening cobalamin deficiency completely reversible after treatment.

Risque thrombotique sous procréation médicalement assistée [Thrombotic risk in assisted reproductive technology].

Use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) is increasing in many developed countries. Arterial and venous thromboembolic complications are reported during ART with an incidence of 0.1%. The development of these events has been mainly ascribed to the presence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Precise mechanisms by which OHSS and exogenous hormonal stimulation used in ART induce thromboembolic events remain unclear. However, vascular endothelial growth factor secreted during OHSS, high estradiol concentrations, and blood hyperviscosity play a major role in inducing a prothrombotic state. Therefore, before planning an ART, individual thromboembolic risk should be assessed and thromboprophylaxis offered to high risk patients. Prophylaxis should be initiated in women who develop moderate-to-severe OHSS.

Depressive disorder moderates the effect of the FTO gene on body mass index.

There is evidence that obesity-related disorders are increased among people with depression. Variation in the FTO (fat mass and obesity associated) gene has been shown to contribute to common forms of human obesity. This study aimed to investigate the genetic influence of polymorphisms in FTO in relation to body mass index (BMI) in two independent samples of major depressive disorder (MDD) cases and controls. We analysed 88 polymorphisms in the FTO gene in a clinically ascertained sample of 2442 MDD cases and 809 controls (Radiant Study). In all, 8 of the top 10 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) showing the strongest associations with BMI were followed-up in a population-based cohort (PsyCoLaus Study) consisting of 1292 depression cases and 1690 controls. Linear regression analyses of the FTO variants and BMI yielded 10 SNPs significantly associated with increased BMI in the depressive group but not the control group in the Radiant sample. The same pattern was found in the PsyCoLaus sample. We found a significant interaction between genotype and affected status in relation to BMI for seven SNPs in Radiant (P<0.0057), with PsyCoLaus giving supportive evidence for five SNPs (P-values between 0.03 and 0.06), which increased in significance when the data were combined in a meta-analysis. This is the first study investigating FTO and BMI within the context of MDD, and the results indicate that having a history of depression moderates the effect of FTO on BMI. This finding suggests that FTO is involved in the mechanism underlying the association between mood disorders and obesity.

Systemic and pulmonary vascular dysfunction in children conceived by assisted reproductive technologies.

BACKGROUND: Assisted reproductive technology (ART) involves the manipulation of early embryos at a time when they may be particularly vulnerable to external disturbances. Environmental influences during the embryonic and fetal development influence the individual's susceptibility to cardiovascular disease, raising concerns about the potential consequences of ART on the long-term health of the offspring. METHODS AND RESULTS: We assessed systemic (flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery, pulse-wave velocity, and carotid intima-media thickness) and pulmonary (pulmonary artery pressure at high altitude by Doppler echocardiography) vascular function in 65 healthy children born after ART and 57 control children. Flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery was 25% smaller in ART than in control children (6.7±1.6% versus 8.6±1.7%; P<0.0001), whereas endothelium-independent vasodilation was similar in the 2 groups. Carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity was significantly (P<0.001) faster and carotid intima-media thickness was significantly (P<0.0001) greater in children conceived by ART than in control children. The systolic pulmonary artery pressure at high altitude (3450 m) was 30% higher (P<0.001) in ART than in control children. Vascular function was normal in children conceived naturally during hormonal stimulation of ovulation and in siblings of ART children who were conceived naturally. CONCLUSIONS: Healthy children conceived by ART display generalized vascular dysfunction. This problem does not appear to be related to parental factors but to the ART procedure itself. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00837642.

Anterior cingulate cortex pathology in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

To explore possible morphological abnormalities in the dorsal and subgenual parts of anterior cingulate cortex in mood disorders and schizophrenia, we performed a quantitative postmortem study of 44 schizophrenic patients, 21 patients with sporadic bipolar disorder, 20 patients with sporadic major depression, and 55 age- and sex-matched control cases. All individuals were drug naïve or had received psychotropic medication for less than 6 months, and had no history of substance abuse. Neuron densities and size were estimated on cresyl violet-stained sections using a stereological counting approach. The distribution and density of microtubule-associated (MAP2, MAP1b) and tau proteins were assessed by immunocytochemistry and quantitative immunodot assay. Mean total and laminar cortical thicknesses as well as mean pyramidal neuron size were significantly decreased in the dorsal and subgenual parts of areas 24 (24sg) in schizophrenic cases. Patients with bipolar disorder showed a substantial decrease in laminar thickness and neuron densities in layers III, V, and VI of the subgenual part of area 24, whereas patients with major depression were comparable to controls. Immunodot assay showed a significant decrease of both MAP2 and MAP1b proteins in bipolar patients but not in patients with schizophrenia and major depression. The neuroanatomical and functional significance of these findings are discussed in the light of current hypotheses regarding the role of areas 24 and 24sg in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Male body size and breeding tubercles are both linked to intra-sexual dominance and reproductive success in the minnow

Male dominance hierarchies are usually linked to relative body size and to weapon size, that is, to determinants of fighting ability. Secondary sexual characters that are not directly used as weapons could still be linked to dominance if they reveal determination or overall health and vigour and hence, indirectly, fighting ability. We studied the mating behaviour of the minnow, Phoxinus phoxinus, a cyprinid fish in which males develop breeding tubercles during the spawning season. The function of these breeding tubercles is still not clear. Using microsatellite markers, we determined male reproductive success under controlled conditions. The minnows were territorial and quickly established a dominance hierarchy at the beginning of the spawning season. Dominance was strongly and positively linked to fertilization success. Although body size and number of breeding tubercles were not significantly correlated in our sample, both large males and males with many breeding tubercles were more dominant and achieved higher fertilization success than small males or males with few tubercles. We found multimale fertilization in most clutches, suggesting that sperm competition is important in this species. Females showed behaviour that may be linked to spawning decision, that is, male dominance might not be the only determinant of male reproductive success in minnows

DSM-IV and DSM-5 alcohol use disorder among young Swiss men.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Previous studies suggest that the new DSM-5 criteria for alcohol use disorder (AUD) will increase the apparent prevalence of AUD. This study estimates the 12-month prevalence of AUD using both DSM-IV and DSM-5 criteria and compares the characteristics of men in a high risk sample who meet both, only one and neither sets of diagnostic criteria. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: 5943 Swiss men aged 18-25 years who participated in the Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors (C-SURF), a population-based cohort study recruited from three of the six military recruitment centres in Switzerland (response rate = 79.2%). MEASUREMENTS: DSM-IV and DSM-5 criteria, alcohol use patterns, and other substance use were assessed. FINDINGS: Approximately 31.7% (30.5-32.8) of individuals met DSM-5 AUD criteria [21.2% mild (20.1-22.2); 10.5% moderate/severe (9.7-11.3)], which was less than the total rate when DSM-IV criteria for alcohol abuse (AA) and alcohol dependence (AD) were combined [36.8% overall (35.5-37.9); 26.6% AA (25.4-27.7); 10.2% AD (9.4-10.9)]. Of 2479 respondents meeting criteria for either diagnoses, 1585 (63.9%) met criteria for both. For those meeting DSM-IV criteria only (n = 598, 24.1%), hazardous use was most prevalent, whereas the criteria larger/longer use than intended and tolerance to alcohol were most prevalent for respondents meeting DSM-5 criteria only (n = 296, 11.9%). Two in five DSM-IV alcohol abuse cases and one-third of DSM-5 mild AUD individuals fulfilled the diagnostic criteria due to the hazardous use criterion. The addition of the craving and excluding of legal criterion, respectively, did not affect estimated AUD prevalence. CONCLUSIONS: In a high-risk sample of young Swiss males, prevalence of alcohol use disorder as diagnosed by DSM-5 was slightly lower than prevalence of DSM-IV diagnosis of dependence plus abuse; 63.9% of those who met either criterion met criteria for both.

Male reproductive success: paternity contribution to queens and workers in Formica ants

The relative number of workers and female sexuals fathered by two males mated with a queen were directly assessed using microsatellite and allozyme markers in field colonies of the ants Formica exsecta and F. truncorum. In both species one of the two males consistently fathered more offspring than the other. There was, however, no evidence that one male might be particularly successful in fathering a disproportionally high proportion of female sexuals relative to the proportion of workers. Moreover, in F. exsecta, the proportions of worker pupae and worker adults fathered by each male did not differ significantly between cohorts. The most likely explanation for this pattern is that females store different amounts of sperm from the two males they mated with.

Observer-rated Coping Associated with Borderline Personality Disorder: An Exploratory Study.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about coping specificities, as operationalization of the concept of affect regulation, in borderline personality disorder (BPD). It is most important to take into account methodological criticisms addressed to the self-report questionnaire approach and to compare BPD coping specificities to the ones of neighbouring diagnostic categories, such as bipolar disorder (BD). SAMPLING AND METHODS: The present exploratory study compared the coping profiles of N = 25 patients presenting BPD to those of N = 25 patients presenting BD and to those of N = 25 healthy controls. All participants underwent a clinical interview that was transcribed and rated using the Coping Patterns observer-rater system. RESULTS: Results partially confirmed study hypotheses and showed differences between BPD patients and healthy controls in all coping domains (competence, resources and autonomy), whereas the only coping domain presenting a BPD-specific lack of skills, compared with the BD patients, was autonomy, a set of coping strategies facing stress appraised as challenge. These coping processes were linked to general and BPD symptomatology. CONCLUSIONS: These results extend conclusions of earlier studies on affect regulation processes in BPD and bear important clinical implications, in the context of dialectical behavior therapy and other therapeutic approaches. Limitations of this exploratory study, such as the small sample size, are acknowledged. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: Coping can be reliably assessed in the narrative process in an non-structured interview frame. Patients with borderline personality disorder present with a specific lack of skills in affect regulation related to autonomy issues, compared to patients with bipolar disorder and healthy controls. Lack of skills in accommodation to distressing emotions in borderline personality disorder is related to symptom gravity and may be treated using radical acceptance strategies.

Cognitive errors assessed by observer ratings in bipolar affective disorder: relationship with symptoms and therapeutic alliance

The construct of cognitive errors is clinically relevant for cognitive therapy of mood disorders. Beck's universality hypothesis postulates the relevance of negative cognitions in all subtypes of mood disorders, as well as positive cognitions for manic states. This hypothesis has rarely been empirically addressed for patients presenting bipolar affective disorder (BD). In-patients (n = 30) presenting with BD were interviewed, as were 30 participants of a matched control group. Valid and reliable observer-rater methodology for cognitive errors was applied to the session transcripts. Overall, patients make more cognitive errors than controls. When manic and depressive patients were compared, parts of the universality hypothesis were confirmed. Manic symptoms are related to positive and negative cognitive errors. These results are discussed with regard to the main assumptions of the cognitive model for depression; thus adding an argument for extending it to the BD diagnostic group, taking into consideration specificities in terms of cognitive errors. Clinical implications for cognitive therapy of BD are suggested.