Frontal areas contribute to reduced global coordination of resting-state gamma activities in drug-naïve patients with schizophrenia

Schizophrenia has been postulated to involve impaired neuronal cooperation in large-scale neural networks, including cortico-cortical circuitry. Alterations in gamma band oscillations have attracted a great deal of interest as they appear to represent a pathophysiological process of cortical dysfunction in schizophrenia. Gamma band oscillations reflect local cortical activities, and the synchronization of these activities among spatially distributed cortical areas has been suggested to play a central role in the formation of networks. To assess global coordination across spatially distributed brain regions, Omega complexity (OC) in multichannel EEG was proposed. Using OC, we investigated global coordination of resting-state EEG activities in both gamma (30–50 Hz) and below-gamma (1.5–30 Hz) bands in drug-naïve patients with schizophrenia and investigated the effects of neuroleptic treatment. We found that gamma band OC was significantly higher in drug-naïve patients with schizophrenia compared to control subjects and that a right frontal electrode (F3) contributed significantly to the higher OC. After neuroleptic treatment, reductions in the contribution of frontal electrodes to global OC in both bands correlated with the improvement of schizophrenia symptomatology. The present study suggests that frontal brain processes in schizophrenia were less coordinated with activity in the remaining brain. In addition, beneficial effects of neuroleptic treatment were accompanied by improvement of brain coordination predominantly due to changes in frontal regions. Our study provides new evidence of improper intrinsic brain integration in schizophrenia by investigating the resting-state gamma band activity.

Spawning coordination of mates in a shell brooding cichlid

Aim. External fertilisation requires synchronisation of gamete release between the two sexes. Adequate synchronisation is essential in aquatic media because sperm is very short-lived in water. In the cichlid Lamprologus callipterus, fertilisation of the eggs takes place inside an empty snail shell, where females stay inside the shell and males have to ejaculate into the shell opening. This spawning pattern makes the coordination of gamete release difficult. Methods. This study examined the synchronisation of males and females during egg laying. Results. The results showed that the male initiates each spawning sequence and that sperm release and egg laying are very well synchronised. 68% of all sperm releases occurred at exactly the same time when the female laid an egg, and 99% of ejaculations occurred within ±5 seconds from egg deposition. On average 95 eggs are laid one by one with intervals of several minutes between subsequent eggs, leading to a total spawning duration in excess of six hours. Conclusions. We discuss this exceptional spawning pattern and how it might reflect a conflict between the sexes, with males attempting to induce egg laying and females extending the egg laying period to raise the chance for parasitic males to participate in spawning.

Oral misoprostol for third stage of labor: a randomized placebo-controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether orally administered misoprostol during the third stage of labor is efficient in reducing postpartum blood loss. METHODS: In a double-masked trial, during vaginal delivery women were randomly assigned to receive a single oral dose of misoprostol (600 microg) or placebo in third stage of labor, immediately after cord clamping. The third stage of labor was managed routinely by early cord clamping and controlled cord traction; oxytocin was administered only if blood loss seemed more than usual. Blood loss was estimated by the delivering physician and differences in hematocrit were measured before and after delivery. RESULTS: Mean (+/- standard error of the mean) estimated blood loss (345 +/- 19.5 mL versus 417 +/- 25.9 mL, P = .031) and hematocrit difference (4.5 +/- 0.9% versus 7.9 +/- 1.2%, P = .014) were significantly lower in women who received misoprostol than those who received placebo. Fewer women in the misoprostol group had postpartum hemorrhage (blood loss of at least 500 mL), but that difference was not statistically significant (7% versus 15%, P = .43). Additional oxytocin before or after placental separation was used less often in the misoprostol group (16% versus 38%, P = .047). There were no differences in the length of third stage of labor (8 +/- 0.9 minutes versus 9 +/- 1 minutes, P = .947). There were no differences in pain during third stage of labor, postpartum fever, or diarrhea, but shivering was more frequent in the misoprostol group. CONCLUSION: Oral misoprostol administered in the third stage of labor reduced postpartum blood loss and might be effective in reducing incidence of postpartum hemorrhage.

The annexins: spatial and temporal coordination of signaling events during cellular stress

Annexins are a family of structurally related, Ca2+-sensitive proteins that bind to negatively charged phospholipids and establish specific interactions with other lipids and lipid microdomains. They are present in all eukaryotic cells and share a common folding motif, the "annexin core", which incorporates Ca2+- and membrane-binding sites. Annexins participate in a variety of intracellular processes, ranging from the regulation of membrane dynamics to cell migration, proliferation, and apoptosis. Here we focus on the role of annexins in cellular signaling during stress. A chronic stress response triggers the activation of different intracellular pathways, resulting in profound changes in Ca2+ and pH homeostasis and the production of lipid second messengers. We review the latest data on how these changes are sensed by the annexins, which have the ability to simultaneously interact with specific lipid and protein moieties at the plasma membrane, contributing to stress adaptation via regulation of various signaling pathways.

Coordination of protein and mRNA abundances of stromal enzymes and mRNA abundances of the Clp protease subunits during senescence of Phaseolus vulgaris (L.) leaves

Our objective was to determine the coordination of transcript and/or protein abundances of stromal enzymes during leaf senescence. First trifolioliate leaves of Phaseolus vulgaris L. plants were sampled beginning at the time of full leaf expansion; at this same time, half of the plants were switched to a nutrient solution lacking N. Total RNA and soluble protein abundances decreased after full leaf expansion whereas chlorophyll abundance remained constant; N stress enhanced the decline in these traits. Abundances of ribulose-1,5-bisposphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco; EC 4.1.1.39), Rubisco activase and phosphoribulokinase (Ru5P kinase; EC 2.7.1.19) decreased after full leaf expansion in a coordinated manner for both treatments. In contrast, adenosine diphosphate glucose (ADPGlc) pyrophosphorylase (EC 2.7.7.27) abundance was relatively constant during natural senescence but did decline similar to the other enzymes under N stress. Northern analyses indicated that transcript abundances for all enzymes declined markedly on a fresh-weight basis just after full leaf expansion. This rapid decline was particularly strong for the Rubisco small subunit (rbcS) transcript. The decline was enhanced by N stress for rbcS and Rubisco activase (rca), but not for Ru5P kinase (prk) and ADPGlc pyrophosphorylase (agp). Transcripts of the Clp protease subunits clpC and clpP declined in abundance just after full leaf expansion, similar to the other mRNA species. When Northern blots were analyzed using equal RNA loads, rbcS transcripts still declined markedly just after full leaf expansion whereas rca and clpC transcripts increased over time. The results indicated that senescence was initiated near the time of full leaf expansion, was accelerated by N stress, and was characterized by large decline in transcripts of stromal enzymes. The decreased mRNA abundances were in general associated with steadily declining stromal protein abundances, with ADPGlc pyrophosphorylase being the notable exception. Transcript analyses for the Clp subunits supported a recent report (Shanklin et al., 1995, Plant Cell 7: 1713--1722) indicating that the Clp protease subunits were constitutive throughout development and suggested that ClpC and ClpP do not function as a senescence-specific proteolytic system in Phaseolus.

Synthesis, structure and magnetic properties of cobalt(II) and copper(II) coordination polymers assembled by phthalate and 4-methylimidazole

New coordination polymers [M(Pht)(4-MeIm)2(H2O)]n (M=Co (1), Cu (2); Pht2−=dianion of o-phthalic acid; 4-MeIm=4-methylimidazole) have been synthesized and characterized by IR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, thermogravimetric analysis and magnetic measurements. The crystal structures of 1 and 2 are isostructural and consist of [M(4-MeIm)2(H2O)] building units linked in infinite 1D helical chains by 1,6-bridging phthalate ions which also act as chelating ligands through two O atoms from one carboxylate group in the case of 1. In complex 1, each Co(II) atom adopts a distorted octahedral N2O4 geometry being coordinated by two N atoms from two 4-MeIm, three O atoms of two phthalate residues and one O atom of a water molecule, whereas the square-pyramidal N2O3 coordination of the Cu(II) atom in 2 includes two N atoms of N-containing ligands, two O atoms of two carboxylate groups from different Pht, and a water molecule. An additional strong O–H⋯O hydrogen bond between a carboxylate group of the phthalate ligand and a coordinated water molecule join the 1D helical chains to form a 2D network in both compounds. The thermal dependences of the magnetic susceptibilities of the polymeric helical Co(II) chain compound 1 were simulated within the temperature range 20–300 K as a single ion case, whereas for the Cu(II) compound 2, the simulations between 25 and 300 K, were made for a linear chain using the Bonner–Fisher approximation. Modelling the experimental data of compound 1 with MAGPACK resulted in: g=2.6, |D|=62 cm−1. Calculations using the Bonner–Fisher approximation gave the following result for compound 2: g=2.18, J=–0.4 cm−1.

Labor Regime and Social Justice: Consequences of Economic and Social Stratification among Maya Peasants in Central Quintana Roo, Mexico

The article explores consequences of socioeconomic stratification for milpa agriculture and for the organization of labor in a Lowland Maya peasant society. Both present-day and past situations are analyzed. The article includes a discussion of the concept of local social justice which serves as a framework of analysis of institutions that allocate goods and services and provide rules and norms for social interaction.

On the traces of XPD: cell cycle matters - untangling the genotype-phenotype relationship of XPD mutations

Abstract Mutations in the human gene coding for XPD lead to segmental progeria - the premature appearance of some of the phenotypes normally associated with aging - which may or may not be accompanied by increased cancer incidence. XPD is required for at least three different critical cellular functions: in addition to participating in the process of nucleotide excision repair (NER), which removes bulky DNA lesions, XPD also regulates transcription as part of the general transcription factor IIH (TFIIH) and controls cell cycle progression through its interaction with CAK, a pivotal activator of cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs). The study of inherited XPD disorders offers the opportunity to gain insights into the coordination of important cellular events and may shed light on the mechanisms that regulate the delicate equilibrium between cell proliferation and functional senescence, which is notably altered during physiological aging and in cancer. The phenotypic manifestations in the different XPD disorders are the sum of disturbances in the vital processes carried out by TFIIH and CAK. In addition, further TFIIH- and CAK-independent cellular activities of XPD may also play a role. This, added to the complex feedback networks that are in place to guarantee the coordination between cell cycle, DNA repair and transcription, complicates the interpretation of clinical observations. While results obtained from patient cell isolates as well as from murine models have been elementary in revealing such complexity, the Drosophila embryo has proven useful to analyze the role of XPD as a cell cycle regulator independently from its other cellular functions. Together with data from the biochemical and structural analysis of XPD and of the TFIIH complex these results combine into a new picture of the XPD activities that provides ground for a better understanding of the patophysiology of XPD diseases and for future development of diagnostic and therapeutic tools.

Frequency of and predictors for patient-reported medical and medication errors in Switzerland

OBJECTIVES: To analyse the frequency of and identify risk factors for patient-reported medical errors in Switzerland. The joint effect of risk factors on error-reporting probability was modelled for hypothetical patients. METHODS: A representative population sample of Swiss citizens (n = 1306) was surveyed as part of the Commonwealth Fund’s 2010 lnternational Survey of the General Public’s Views of their Health Care System’s Performance in Eleven Countries. Data on personal background, utilisation of health care, coordination of care problems and reported errors were assessed. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify risk factors for patients’ reports of medical mistakes and medication errors. RESULTS: 11.4% of participants reported at least one error in their care in the previous two years (8% medical errors, 5.3% medication errors). Poor coordination of care experiences was frequent. 7.8% experienced that test results or medical records were not available, 17.2% received conflicting information from care providers and 11.5% reported that tests were ordered although they had been done before. Age (OR = 0.98, p = 0.014), poor health (OR = 2.95, p = 0.007), utilisation of emergency care (OR = 2.45, p = 0.003), inpatient-stay (OR = 2.31, p = 0.010) and poor care coordination (OR = 5.43, p <0.001) are important predictors for reporting error. For high utilisers of care that unify multiple risk factors the probability that errors are reported rises up to p = 0.8. CONCLUSIONS: Patient safety remains a major challenge for the Swiss health care system. Despite the health related and economic burden associated with it, the widespread experience of medical error in some subpopulations also has the potential to erode trust in the health care system as a whole.

[Integrating psychotherapeutic treatment of severe mental illness: between desirability and clinical practice]

Psychiatric care for severe and persistent mentally ill individuals has considerably changed over the last three decades. Striving for improvement in services provision for these patients has led to the emergence of various specialized community services, suited housing and supported work offers. Moreover, community-based treatment is also offered during acute episodes of mental illness. At the same time a range of evidence-based psychotherapeutic approaches targeting treatment needs of people with severe mental illness were developed in a process independent of the rise of community psychiatry. At present, however, a sufficient level of coordination of psychiatric services and integration of evidence-based psychological treatment into psychiatric care has not been achieved. Thus, these issues represent important steps in the further development.This paper discusses recent developments in psychiatric care of people with severe mental illness and reviews the evidence-based psychotherapy approaches suited to fit the needs of patient-centered integrated care.