The aversiveness of specific emotional states associated with binge-eating in obese subjects

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the hypothesis that non-purge-related binge-eating in obesity is maintained by a 'trade-off' in which a highly aversive emotional state is exchanged for a less aversive state. Method: Ninety-eight obese binge-eaters meeting the DSM-IV criteria for binge-eating disorder [1] were contrasted with 65 non-binge-eating controls on their perceived distress associated with negative mood states usually experienced before and after binges. Results: Binge-eaters reported significantly greater distress and lower tolerance of negative mood compared to controls. Furthermore, when compared with controls, binge-eaters reported that emotions typically reported before binges (e.g. anger) were more aversive than those reported after (e.g. guilt). Conclusions: These results were interpreted as supporting the 'trade-off' theory and have implications for the treatment of binge-eating disorder.

Mood states as an indication of staleness and recovery

Elite athletes repeatedly completed the Profile of Mood States (POMS) during a six month training season to determine whether athletes who are stale show different values from those who are intensely trained but not stale. Nineteen elite male and female swimmers were studied at five time points: three times during training (early-, mid-, and late-season), during tapering prior to, and then shortly after, major competition. Of the 14 subjects who completed the entire monitoring program, three were classified as stale based on several criteria including poorer performance and prolonged high level of fatigue. Two of the stale swimmers showed higher scores for several of the POMS measures throughout the season compared with the remainder who were classified as non-stale. However, the third stale swimmer showed similar scores to those of the non-stale swimmers. Several POMS measures were significantly correlated with training intensity but not with training volume. It was concluded that stale athletes may not always demonstrate different mood scores from non-stale athletes but that the total mood disturbance score (TMD) as evaluated by the POMS may be used to indicate those athletes predisposed to the condition long before the symptoms of poor performance and prolonged fatigue are observed. TMD scores were chosen to monitor staleness since they represent a synthesis of the six specific mood states measured by the POMS.

Clinical End Points and Response Criteria in Mycosis Fungoides and Sezary Syndrome: A Consensus Statement of the International Society for Cutaneous Lymphomas, the United States Cutaneous Lymphoma Consortium, and the Cutaneous Lymphoma Task Force of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer

Mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sezary syndrome (SS), the major forms of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, have unique characteristics that distinguish them from other types of non-Hodgkin`s lymphomas. Clinical trials in MF/SS have suffered from a lack of standardization in evaluation, staging, assessment, end points, and response criteria. Recently defined criteria for the diagnosis of early MF, guidelines for initial evaluation, and revised staging and classification criteria for MF and SS now offer the potential for uniform staging of patients enrolled in clinical trials for MF/SS. This article presents consensus recommendations for the general conduct of clinical trials of patients with MF/SS as well as methods for standardized assessment of potential disease manifestations in skin, lymph nodes, blood, and visceral organs, and definition of end points and response criteria. These guidelines should facilitate collaboration among investigators and collation of data from sponsor-generated or investigator-initiated clinical trials involving patients with MF or SS. J Clin Oncol 29:2598-2607. (C) 2011 by American Society of Clinical Oncology

Protecting Schrodinger cat states using feedback

A feedback model based on direct photodetection and micromaser-like atomic injection is proposed for the preservation of quantum coherence in a cavity. We show that in this way it is possible to slow down significantly the decoherence of Schrodinger cat states.

A serosurvey for hantavirus infection in wild rodents from the states of Rio de Janeiro and Pernambuco, Brazil

Sera from 269 rodents obtained during the routine surveillance operations in plague areas of Rio de Janeiro and Pernambuco states, Brazil were tested by ELISA for specific IgG antibodies against a recombinant nucleocapsid (N) protein of Araraquara hantavirus. ELISA-positive sera were submitted to reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for amplification of the virus genome and later sequencing for identification of the viral variant. The samples from the state of Pernambuco were antibody negative, and although four from Rio de Janeiro were ELISA-positive, they failed to yield viral cDNA by RT-PCR. This is the first report of the presence of antibodies to a hantavirus among rodents from Rio de Janeiro and suggests the possibility of human cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in that state, although no case has yet been reported. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.