Age differences in brain activity during emotion processing: reflections of age-Related decline or increased emotion regulation?

Despite the fact that physical health and cognitive abilities decline with aging, the ability to regulate emotion remains stable and in some aspects improves across the adult life span. Older adults also show a positivity effect in their attention and memory, with diminished processing of negative stimuli relative to positive stimuli compared with younger adults. The current paper reviews functional magnetic resonance imaging studies investigating age-related differences in emotional processing and discusses how this evidence relates to two opposing theoretical accounts of older adults’ positivity effect. The aging-brain model [Cacioppo et al. in: Social Neuroscience: Toward Understanding the Underpinnings of the Social Mind. New York, Oxford University Press, 2011] proposes that older adults’ positivity effect is a consequence of age-related decline in the amygdala, whereas the cognitive control hypothesis [Kryla-Lighthall and Mather in: Handbook of Theories of Aging, ed 2. New York, Springer, 2009; Mather and Carstensen: Trends Cogn Sci 2005;9:496–502; Mather and Knight: Psychol Aging 2005;20:554–570] argues that the positivity effect is a result of older adults’ greater focus on regulating emotion. Based on evidence for structural and functional preservation of the amygdala in older adults and findings that older adults show greater prefrontal cortex activity than younger adults while engaging in emotion-processing tasks, we argue that the cognitive control hypothesis is a more likely explanation for older adults’ positivity effect than the aging-brain model.

Understanding consumer evaluations of personalised nutrition services in terms of the privacy calculus: a qualitative study

Background: Personalised nutrition (PN) may provide major health benefits to consumers. A potential barrier to the uptake of PN is consumers’ reluctance to disclose sensitive information upon which PN is based. This study adopts the privacy calculus to explore how PN service attributes contribute to consumers’ privacy risk and personalisation benefit perceptions. Methods: Sixteen focus groups (n = 124) were held in 8 EU countries and discussed 9 PN services that differed in terms of personal information, communication channel, service provider, advice justification, scope, frequency, and customer lock-in. Transcripts were content analysed. Results: The personal information that underpinned PN contributed to both privacy risk perception and personalisation benefit perception. Disclosing information face-to-face mitigated the perception of privacy risk and amplified the perception of personalisation benefit. PN provided by a qualified expert and justified by scientific evidence increased participants’ value perception. Enhancing convenience, offering regular face-to face support, and employing customer lock-in strategies were perceived as beneficial. Conclusion: This study suggests that to encourage consumer adoption, PN has to account for face-to-face communication, expert advice providers, support, a lifestyle-change focus, and customised offers. The results provide an initial insight into service attributes that influence consumer adoption of PN.

A genome-wide test of the differential susceptibility hypothesis reveals a genetic predictor of differential response to psychological treatments for child anxiety disorders

Background: The differential susceptibly hypothesis suggests that certain genetic variants moderate the effects of both negative and positive environments on mental health and may therefore be important predictors of response to psychological treatments. Nevertheless, the identification of such variants has so far been limited to preselected candidate genes. In this study we extended the differential susceptibility hypothesis from a candidate gene to a genome-wide approach to test whether a polygenic score of environmental sensitivity predicted response to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) in children with anxiety disorders. Methods: We identified variants associated with environmental sensitivity using a novel method in which within-pair variability in emotional problems in 1026 monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs was examined as a function of the pairs’ genotype. We created a polygenic score of environmental sensitivity based on the whole-genome findings and tested the score as a moderator of parenting on emotional problems in 1,406 children and response to individual, group and brief parent-led CBT in 973 children with anxiety disorders. Results: The polygenic score significantly moderated the effects of parenting on emotional problems and the effects of treatment. Individuals with a high score responded significantly better to individual CBT than group CBT or brief parent-led CBT (remission rates: 70.9%, 55.5% and 41.6% respectively). Conclusions: Pending successful replication, our results should be considered exploratory. Nevertheless, if replicated, they suggest that individuals with the greatest environmental sensitivity may be more likely to develop emotional problems in adverse environments, but also benefit more from the most intensive types of treatment.

Activation of the GPR30 receptor promotes lordosis in female mice

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Estrogens are important effectors of reproduction and are critical for upregulating female reproductive behavior or lordosis in females. In addition to the importance of transcriptional regulation of genes by 17beta-estradiol-bound estrogen receptors (ER), extranuclear signal transduction cascades such as protein kinase A (PKA) are also important in regulating female sexual receptivity. GPR30 (G-protein coupled receptor 30), also known as GPER1, a putative membrane ER (mER), is a G protein-coupled receptor that binds 17beta-estradiol with an affinity that is similar to that possessed by the classical nuclear ER and activates both PKA and extracellular-regulated kinase signaling pathways. The high expression of GPR30 in the ventromedial hypothalamus, a region important for lordosis behavior as well as kinase cascades activated by this receptor, led us to hypothesize that GPR30 may regulate lordosis behavior in female rodents. METHOD: In this study, we investigated the ability of G-1, a selective agonist of GPR30, to regulate lordosis in the female mouse by administering this agent prior to progesterone in an estradiol-progesterone priming paradigm prior to testing with stud males. RESULTS: As expected, 17beta-estradiol benzoate (EB), but not sesame oil, increased lordosis behavior in female mice. G-1 also increased lordosis behavior in female mice and decreased the number of rejective responses towards male mice, similar to the effect of EB. The selective GPR30 antagonist G-15 blocked these effects. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that activation of the mER GPR30 stimulates social behavior in a rodent model in a manner similar to EB.

Prevalence of Vitamin D Insufficiency in Brazilian Adolescents

Background/Aims: Cutaneous sun exposure and dietary vitamin D intake are important determinants of vitamin D status. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the vitamin D status of a group of healthy adolescent students living in Brazil. Methods: One hundred and thirty-six adolescents, 64 boys and 72 girls, aged 16-20 years old, living in a rural town in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, participated in this study. Results: The mean dietary vitamin D intake was 140 (120-156) IU/day [3.5 (3.0-3.9) mu g/day]. Only 14.9% of the students met the daily adequate intake recommendation of vitamin D. Only 27.9% practice physical activity outdoors and 17.6% of the adolescents apply sunscreen daily. The mean 25(OH)D concentration was 73.0 (22.0) nmol/l [29.2 (8.8) ng/ml]. Vitamin D insufficiency was observed in 60% of adolescents. Conclusions: The present study suggests that even in a sunny climate like Brazil the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in adolescents is high. Most likely this is due to low intakes of vitamin D in this group. Due to the limited extent of natural dietary sources of vitamin D, a policy of vitamin D food fortification should be considered in the future, and in the meantime greater use of vitamin D supplements in this population group should be encouraged to provide the increased amounts of this essential nutrient for optimal health. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel

Constitutional Haploinsufficiency of Tumor Suppressor Genes in Mentally Retarded Patients With Microdeletions in 17p13.1

Chromosome microdeletions or duplications are detected in 10-20% of patients with mental impairment and normal karyotypes. A few cases have been reported of mental impairment with microdeletions comprising tumor suppressor genes. By array-CGH we detected 4 mentally impaired individuals carrying de novo microdeletions sharing an overlapping segment of similar to 180 kb in 17p13.1. This segment encompasses 18 genes, including 3 involved in cancer, namely KCTD11/REN, DLG4/PSD95, and GPS2. Furthermore, in 2 of the patients, the deletions also included TP53, the most frequently inactivated gene in human cancers. The 3 tumor suppressor genes KCTD11, DLG4, and GPS2, in addition to the GABARAP gene, have a known or suspected function in neuronal development and are candidates for causing mental impairment in our patients. Among our 4 patients with deletions in 17p13.1, 3 were part of a Brazilian cohort of 300 mentally retarded individuals, suggesting that this segment may be particularly prone to rearrangements and appears to be an important cause (similar to 1%) of mental retardation. Further, the constitutive deletion of tumor suppressor genes in these patients, particularly TP53, probably confers a significantly increased lifetime risk for cancer and warrants careful oncological surveillance of these patients. Constitutional chromosome deletions containing tumor suppressor genes in patients with mental impairment or congenital abnormalities may represent an important mechanism linking abnormal phenotypes with increased risks of cancer. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel

Non-homologous sex chromosomes in two species of the genus Eigenmannia (Teleostei : Gymnotiformes)

The Neotropical genus Eigenmannia is a fish group with unknown species diversity where representatives possess a broad range of chromosomal sex determining systems namely XY/XX, X1X2Y/X1X1X2X2, ZZ/ZW as well as homomorphic sex chromosomes. To test the homology of two heteromorphic XY sex chromosome systems present in two sympatric populations, reciprocal cross-species FISH experiments were performed using probes derived by microdissection of X and Y chromosomes present in analyzed specimens of Eigenmannia virescens and Eigenmannia sp.2, respectively. While X and Y paint probes hybridized to species-specific sex chromosomes, in reciprocal cross-FISH both probes hybridized exclusively to autosomes. The result suggests multiple independent origins of the XY systems in the analyzed populations. Copyright (C) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Comparative Cytogenetics and Molecular Phylogeography in the Group Astyanax altiparanae - Astyanax aff. bimaculatus (Teleostei, Characidae)

The genus Astyanax comprises small characin fish of the neotropical region. The so-called `yellow-tailed characins` compose one of the most widely distributed Astyanax groups. A. altiparanae and A. aff. bimaculatus, are evolutionarily closely related and commonly found in several Brazilian hydrographic basins. In the present work, chromosomal data of specimens of A. altiparanae and A. aff. bimaculatus from 4 hydrographic basins in the states of Sao Paulo (Upper Tiete, Paranapanema, Ribeira de Iguape) and Rio de Janeiro (Guapimirim) are shown. All the populations showed 50 chromosomes, with different karyotypic formula. Although only a single Ag-NOR bearing chromosome pair was observed, all populations possess multiple cistrons of 18S rDNA. FISH with the 5S rDNA probe showed single signals at the interstitial position of one metacentric chromosome pair. C-bands are distributed in the terminal and interstitial regions of several chromosomes. However, the As-51 satDNA are frugally located in a few chromosomes of fishes from Upper Tiete, Paranapanema and Guapimirim Rivers, being absent in individuals of A. aff. bimaculatus from Ribeira de Iguape River basin. Beside these 4 populations, molecular phylogeography studies were also performed in individuals from Middle and Lower Tiete River basin and from 2 additional collection sites in the Paranapanema and Ribeira de Iguape River basins. The phylogeographic analysis using 2 mtDNA regions (totalizing 1.314 bp of ND2 and ATPase6/8 genes) of 8 populations of the group of `yellow-tailed characins` from 3 major hydrographic basins showed structuring of populations, suggesting a correlation between chromosomal (nuclear) and molecular (mitochondrial) data. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel

Development of new nuclear markers and characterization of single nucleotide polymorphisms in kelp gull (Larus dominicanus)

The present study seeks to develop nuclear markers for the kelp gull (Larus dominicanus). We hereby report the characterization of 12 independent nuclear introns, where 104 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 8138 sequenced base pairs were observed. These SNP markers are the first to be designed for genotyping a gull species. The markers will provide useful tools for understanding which processes act or acted upon kelp gulls to cause their low genetic variability in mitochondrial DNA. In addition, these markers open a new opportunity for population genetic and evolutionary studies in the Laridae group.

The Y Chromosome of the Atelidae Family (Platyrrhini): Study by Chromosome Microdissection

In order to study the intergeneric variability of the Y chromosome, we describe the hybridization of the Y chromosome of Brachyteles arachnoides, obtained by microdissection, to metaphases of Ateles belzebuth marginatus, Lagothrix lagothricha, and Alouatta male specimens. Brachyteles arachnoides (Atelinae) has 62 chromosomes and a very small Y chromosome. Our results showed that the Brachyteles arachnoides Y chromosome probe hybridized to Lagothrix lagothricha metaphases yielding one hybridization signal on only the tiny Y chromosome, and when hybridized with Ateles belzebuth marginatus metaphases it yielded one hybridization signal on two thirds of the small acrocentric Y chromosome. However, no hybridization signal was observed in Alouatta metaphases (subfamily Alouattinae), a closely related genus in the Atelidae family. Furthermore, our data support a close phylogenetic relationship among Brachyteles, Ateles, and Lagothrix and their placement in the Atelinae subfamily, but exclude Alouatta from this group indicating its placement as basal to this group. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel

Chromosomal Evolution in the Brazilian Geckos of the Genus Gymnodactylus (Squamata, Phyllodactylidae) from the Biomes of Cerrado, Caatinga and Atlantic Rain Forest: Evidence of Robertsonian Fusion Events and Supernumerary Chromosomes

Chromosomes of the South American geckos Gymnodactylus amarali and G. geckoides from open and dry areas of the Cerrado and Caatinga biomes in Brazil, respectively, were studied for the first time, after conventional and AgNOR staining, CBG- and RBG-banding, and FISH with telomeric sequences. Comparative analyses between the karyotypes of open areas and the previously studied Atlantic forest species G. darwinii were also performed. The chromosomal polymorphisms detected in populations of G. amarali from the states of Goias and Tocantins is the result of centric fusions (2n = 38, 39 and 40), suggesting a differentiation from a 2n = 40 ancestral karyotype and the presence of supernumerary chromosomes. The CBG- and RBG-banding patterns of the Bs are described. G. geckoides has 40 chromosomes with gradually decreasing sizes, but it is distinct from the 2n = 40 karyotypes of G. amarali and G. darwinii due to occurrence of pericentric inversions or centromere repositioning. NOR location seems to be a marker for Gymnodactylus, as G. amarali and G. geckoides share a medium-sized subtelocentric NOR-bearing pair, while G. darwinii has NORs at the secondary constriction of the long arm of pair 1. The comparative analyses indicate a non-random nature of the Robertsonian rearrangements in the genus Gymnodactylus. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel

Chromosome polymorphism in Astyanax fasciatus (Teleostei, Characidae). 2-Chromosomal location of a satellite DNA

Studies about composition of repetitive sequences and their chromosomal location have been helpful to evolutionary studies in many distinct organisms. In order to keep on assessing the possible relationships among different cytotypes of Astyanax fasciatus (Teleostei, Characiformes) in the Mogi-Guacu River (Sao Paulo State, Brazil), C-banding, chromomycin A 3 staining, and fluorescent in situ hybridization with a repetitive DNA sequence (As51) isolated from Astyanax scabripinnis were performed in the present work. The constitutive heterochromatin was distributed in terminal regions on long arms of submetacentric, subtelocentric, and acrocentric chromosomes and in the terminal region on short arms of a pair of submetacentric chromosomes in both standard cytotypes. This latter heterochromatic site was also GC-rich, as revealed by chromomycin A(3) staining, corresponding to the nucleolar organizer region (NOR), as shown by previous studies. The sites of the satellite As51 DNA were located in terminal regions on long arms of several chromosomes. Some variant karyotypic forms, which diverge from the two standard cytotypes, also presented distinctive chromosomes carrying As51 satellite DNA. It is possible that the standard 2n = 46 cytotype represents an invader population in the Mogi-Guacu River able to interbreed with the resident standard 2n = 48 cytotype. Therefore, the variant karyotypes would be related to a possible viable offspring, where complementary chromosomal rearrangements could favor new locations of the satellite DNA analyzed. Copyright (C) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel

The Antiapoptotic Effect of Granulocyte Colony-stimulating Factor Reduces Infarct Size and Prevents Heart Failure Development in Rats

Background/Aim. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) reduces myocardial injury and improves cardiac function after myocardial infarction (MI). We investigated the early alterations provided by G-CSF and the chronic repercussions in infarcted rats. Methods. Male Wistar rats (200-250g) received vehicle (MI) or G-CSF (MI-GCSF) (50 mu g/kg, sc) at 7, 3 and 1 days before MI surgery. Afterwards MI was produced and infarct size was measured 1 and 15 days after surgery. Expression of anti-and proapoptotic proteins was evaluated immediately before surgery. 24 hours after surgery, apoptotic nuclei were evaluated. Two weeks after MI, left ventricular (LV) function was evaluated, followed by in situ LV diastolic pressure-volume evaluation. Results. Infarct size was decreased by 1 day pretreatment before occlusion (36 +/- 2.8 vs. 44 +/- 2.1% in MI; P<0.05) and remained reduced at 15 days after infarction (28 +/- 2.2 vs. 36 +/- 1.4% in MI; P<0.05). G-CSF pretreatment increased Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL protein expression, but did not alter Bax in LV. Apoptotic nuclei were reduced by treatment (Sham: 0.46 +/- 0.42, MI: 15.5 +/- 2.43, MI-GCSF: 5.34 +/- 3.34%; P<0.05). Fifteen days after MI, cardiac function remained preserved in G-CSF pretreated rats. The LV dilation was reduced in MI-G-CSF group as compared to MI rats, being closely associated with infarct size. Conclusion. The early beneficial effects of G-CSF were essentials to preserve cardiac function at a chronic stage of myocardial infarction. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel

Long-Term Ouabain Treatment Impairs Vascular Function in Resistance Arteries

Background/Aims: The purpose of this study was to examine the cardiovascular effects of long-term ouabain treatment at different time points. Methods: Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured by tail-cuff method in male Wistar rats treated with ouabain (approx. 8.0 mu g.day(-1)) or vehicle for 5, 10 and 20 weeks. Afterwards, vascular function was assessed in mesenteric resistance arteries (MRA) using a wire myograph. ROS production and COX-1 and COX-2, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 protein expression were investigated. Results: SBP was increased by ouabain treatment up to the 6th week and remained stable until the 20th week. However, noradrenaline-induced contraction increased only in MRA in rats treated with ouabain for 20 weeks. NOS inhibition and endothelium removal increased the noradrenaline response, but to a smaller magnitude in MRA in the ouabain group. Moreover, inhibition of COX-2 or incubation with superoxide dismutase restores noradrenaline-induced contraction in the 20-week ouabain group to control levels. ROS production as well as COX-2, IL-6 and TNF-alpha protein expression increased in MRA in this group. Conclusion: Although ouabain treatment induced hypertension in all groups, a larger noradrenaline induced contraction was observed over 20 weeks of treatment. This vascular dysfunction was related to COX-2-derived prostanoids and oxidative stress, increased pro-inflammatory cytokines and reduced NO bioavailability. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel