National character does not reflect mean personality trait levels in 49 cultures

Most people hold beliefs about personality characteristics typical members of their own and others' cultures. These perceptions of national character may be generalizations from personal experience, stereotypes with a "kernel of truth", or inaccurate stereotypes. We obtained national character ratings of 3989 people from 49 cultures and compared them with the average personality scores of culture members assessed by observer ratings and self-reports. National character ratings were reliable but did not converge with assessed traits. Perceptions of national character thus appear to be unfounded stereotypes that may serve the function of maintaining a national identity.

Licorice-induced hypertension and common variants of genes regulating renal sodium reabsorption.

AIM: To study if gene alterations affecting renal sodium reabsorption associate with susceptibility to licorice-induced hypertension.METHODS: Finnish subjects (n = 30) with a previously documented incident of licorice-induced hypertension were recruited for the study using a newspaper announcement. Their previous clinical and family histories as well as serum electrolyte levels were examined. DNA samples from all individuals were screened for variants of the genes encoding 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11betaHSD2) and alpha-, beta-, and gamma-subunits of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC).RESULTS: Upon licorice predisposition, the patients had a mean blood pressure of 201/118 mmHg. Circulating potassium, renin, and aldosterone levels were low. No significant DNA variations were identified in the 11betaHSD2 gene. Four subjects were heterozygous for beta- and gammaENaC variants previously shown to be associated with hypertension. Furthermore, a novel G insertion (2004-2005insG) in the SCNN1A gene encoding the alphaENaC was identified in two subjects. The frequency of these ENaC variants was significantly higher in subjects with licorice-induced hypertension (6/30 i.e. 20%) than in blood donors (11/301 i.e. 3.7%, P = 0.002).CONCLUSIONS: Defects of the 11betaHSD2 gene do not constitute a likely cause for licorice-induced hypertension. Variants of the ENaC subunits may render some individuals sensitive to licorice-induced metabolic alterations and hypertension.