Preferences for chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: descriptive study based on scripted interviews

Objective: To determine how patients with lung cancer value the trade off between the survival benefit of chemotherapy and its toxicities.

The effects of stress on social preferences are sexually dimorphic in prairie voles.

Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) are monogamous rodents that form pair bonds characterized by a preference for a familiar social partner. In male prairie voles, exposure to either the stress of swimming or exogenous injections of corticosterone facilitate the development of a social preference for a female with which the male was paired after injection or swimming. Conversely, adrenalectomy inhibits partner preference formation in males and the behavioral effects of adrenalectomy are reversed by corticosterone replacement. In female prairie voles, swim stress interferes with the development of social preferences and corticosterone treatments inhibit the formation of partner preferences, while adrenalectomized females form preferences more quickly than adrenally intact controls. Because sex differences in both behavior and physiology are typically reduced in monogamous species, we initially predicted that male and female prairie voles would exhibit similar behavioral responses to corticosterone. However, our findings suggest an unanticipated sexual dimorphism in the physiological processes modulating social preferences. This dimorphic involvement of stress hormones in pair bonding provides a proximate mechanism for regulating social organization, while permitting males and females to adapt their reproductive strategies in response to environmental challenges.

A rat genetic map constructed by representational difference analysis markers with suitability for large-scale typing.

Representational difference analysis (RDA) was applied to isolate chromosomal markers in the rat. Four series of RDA [restriction enzymes, BamHI and HindIII; subtraction of ACI/N (ACI) amplicon from BUF/Nac (BUF) amplicon and vice versa] yielded 131 polymorphic markers; 125 of these markers were mapped to all chromosomes except for chromosome X. This was done by using a mapping panel of 105 ACI x BUF F2 rats. To complement the relative paucity of chromosomal markers in the rat, genetically directed RDA, which allows isolation of polymorphic markers in the specific chromosomal region, was performed. By changing the F2 driver-DNA allele frequency around the region, four markers were isolated from the D1Ncc1 locus. Twenty-five of 27 RDA markers were informative regarding the dot blot analysis of amplicons, hybridizing only with tester amplicons. Dot blot analysis at a high density per unit of area made it possible to process a large number of samples. Quantitative trait loci can now be mapped in the rat genome by processing a large number of samples with RDA markers and then by isolating markers close to the loci of interest by genetically directed RDA.

Interface between culturally based preferences and genetic preferences: female mate choice in Poecilia reticulata.

The relative contribution of genetic and socio-cultural factors in the shaping of behavior is of fundamental importance to biologists and social scientists, yet it has proven to be extremely difficult to study in a controlled, experimental fashion. Here I describe experiments that examined the strength of genetic and cultural (imitative) factors in determining female mate choice in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata. Female guppies from the Paria River in Trinidad have a genetic, heritable preference for the amount of orange body color possessed by males. Female guppies will, however, also copy (imitate) the mate choice of other females in that when two males are matched for orange color, an "observer" female will copy the mate choice of another ("model") female. Three treatments were undertaken in which males differed by an average of 12%, 24%, or 40% of the total orange body color. In all cases, observer females viewed a model female prefer the less colorful male. When males differed by 12% or 24%, observer females preferred the less colorful male and thus copied the mate choice of others, despite a strong heritable preference for orange body color in males. When males differed by 40% orange body color, however, observer females preferred the more colorful male and did not copy the mate choice of the other female. In this system, then, imitation can "override" genetic preferences when the difference between orange body color in males is small or moderate, but genetic factors block out imitation effects when the difference in orange body color in males is large. This experiment provides the first attempt to experimentally examine the relative strength of cultural and genetic preferences for a particular trait and suggests that these two factors moderate one another in shaping social behavior.

Distinct ligand preferences of Src homology 3 domains from Src, Yes, Abl, Cortactin, p53bp2, PLCgamma, Crk, and Grb2.

Src homology 3 (SH3) domains are conserved protein modules 50-70 amino acids long found in a variety of proteins with important roles in signal transduction. These domains have been shown to mediate protein-protein interactions by binding short proline-rich regions in ligand proteins. However, the ligand preferences of most SH3 domains and the role of these preferences in regulating SH3-mediated protein-protein interactions remain poorly defined. We have used a phage-displayed library of peptides of the form X6PXXPX6 to identify ligands for eight different SH3 domains. Using this approach, we have determined that each SH3 domain prefers peptide ligands with distinct sequence characteristics. Specifically, we have found that the Src SH3 domain selects peptides sharing the consensus motif LXXRPLPXpsiP, whereas Yes SH3 selects psiXXRPLPXLP, Abl SH3 selects PPXthetaXPPPpsiP, Cortactin SH3 selects +PPpsiPXKPXWL, p53bp2 SH3 selects RPXpsiPpsiR+SXP, PLCgamma SH3 selects PPVPPRPXXTL, Crk N-terminal SH3 selects psiPpsiLPpsiK, and Grb2 N-terminal SH3 selects +thetaDXPLPXLP (where psi, theta, and + represent aliphatic, aromatic, and basic residues, respectively). Furthermore, we have compared the binding of phage expressing peptides related to each consensus motif to a panel of 12 SH3 domains. Results from these experiments support the ligand preferences identified in the peptide library screen and evince the ability of SH3 domains to discern subtle differences in the primary structure of potential ligands. Finally, we have found that most known SH3-binding proteins contain proline-rich regions conforming to the ligand preferences of their respective SH3 targets.

What We Don't Know Can Hurt Us: Clinical Inference Bias and Constructed Memories of Sexual Abuse.

The false memory/recovered memory debate, research regarding the malleability of memory, and the current lack of methods for validating recovered memories all support the view that heightened care is required of therapists dealing with clients whom they suspect have been sexually abused. The judgmental heuristics that underlie the major clinical inference biases of confirmatory bias, biased covariation, base rate fallacies, and schematic processing errors are all relevant to the processes leading to therapist-client constructions of memories of sexual abuse. Suggestions for minimizing each of these biases are offered. Personal motivations of the client and client suggestibility are factors that may contribute to the construction of memories of sexual abuse, and suggestions for minimizing the impact of these motivations are offered. In conclusion, general suggestions for minimizing the impact of clinical inference biases within the sexual abuse treatment context are summarized.

Examining retirement housing preferences among international retiree migrants

Housing demand models based on individual consumer’s utility function reflect preferences about the structure and lot, neighborhood, and location as related to socioeconomic characteristics of the occupants. As a growing proportion of aging residents in many countries are undertaking late life moves, their preferences will have an influence on destination housing markets. We examine the characteristics, attitudes and preferences about retirement housing among immigrant retirees currently living in traditional housing in a retirement destination in Alicante, Spain. Using results from a survey of German and British retirees living in the region, we find through logistic regression that preference for retirement housing is associated with aging and gaining access to in-home support services.