Good and very good moments in psychotherapy: Content, distribution, and facilitation.

10 clinical psychologists applied a twelvefold category system of good and very good moments of client movement, progress, improvement, process, or change to 2 consecutive middle sessions of experiential psychotherapy. Findings show (1) a large proportion of good and very good moments in both sessions, (2) the distribution of these moments into a distinctive subset of the 12 categories, and (3) the occurrence of series and phases of good moments rather than discrete events. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modulation of Endocannabinoid System Components in Depression: Pre-Clinical and Clinical Evidence

Depression is characterized by continuous low mood and loss of interest or pleasure in enjoyable activities. First-line medications for mood disorders mostly target the monoaminergic system; however, many patients do not find relief with these medications, and those who do suffer from negative side effects and a discouragingly low rate of remission. Studies suggest that the endocannabinoid system (ECS) may be involved in the etiology of depression and that targeting the ECS has the potential to alleviate depression. ECS components (such as receptors, endocannabinoid ligands, and degrading enzymes) are key neuromodulators in motivation and cognition as well as in the regulation of stress and emotions. Studies in depressed patients and in animal models for depression have reported deficits in ECS components, which is motivating researchers to identify potential diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers within the ECS. By understanding the effects of cannabinoids on ECS components in depression, we enhance our understanding of which brain targets they hit, what biological processes they alter, and eventually how to use this information to design better therapeutic options. In this article, we discuss the literature on the effects of cannabinoids on ECS components of specific depression-like behaviors and phenotypes in rodents and then describe the findings in depressed patients. A better understanding of the effects of cannabinoids on ECS components in depression may direct future research efforts to enhance diagnosis and treatment.     

Complete Bound Consistency for the Global Cardinality Constraint

We show an algorithm for bound consistency of global cardinality constraints, which runs in time O(n + n′) plus the time required to sort the assignment variables by range endpoints, where n is the number of assignment variables and n′ is the number of values in the union of their domains. It is the first efficient algorithm that achieves bound consistency for all variables, and not only the assignment variables.Partially supported by DFG grant SA 933/1-1.Partially supported by the EU IST Programme, IST-1999-14186 (ALCOM-FT).     

Excitatory-inhibitory network in the visual cortex: psychophysical evidence

At early stages in visual processing cells respond to local stimuli with specific features such as orientation and spatial frequency. Although the receptive fields of these cells have been thought to be local and independent, recent physiological and psychophysical evidence has accumulated, indicating that the cells participate in a rich network of local connections. Thus, these local processing units can integrate information over much larger parts of the visual field; the pattern of their response to a stimulus apparently depends on the context presented. To explore the pattern of lateral interactions in human visual cortex under different context conditions we used a novel chain lateral masking detection paradigm, in which human observers performed a detection task in the presence of different length chains of high-contrast-flanked Gabor signals. The results indicated a nonmonotonic relation of the detection threshold with the number of flankers. Remote flankers had a stronger effect on target detection when the space between them was filled with other flankers, indicating that the detection threshold is caused by dynamics of large neuronal populations in the neocortex, with a major interplay between excitation and inhibition. We considered a model of the primary visual cortex as a network consisting of excitatory and inhibitory cell populations, with both short- and long-range interactions. The model exhibited a behavior similar to the experimental results throughout a range of parameters. Experimental and modeling results indicated that long-range connections play an important role in visual perception, possibly mediating the effects of context.     

The expression of calpain 1 and calpain 2 in spermatogenic cells and spermatozoa of the mouse

There is some evidence suggesting that Ca2+ is involved in processes that occur during the development and function of spermatozoa. Calcium-dependent proteins, such as calmodulin, are expressed during mammalian spermatogenesis further suggesting that Ca2+ takes part in its regulation. However, the precise roles of Ca2+ in spermatogenesis remain to be elucidated. Calpains are a family of Ca(2+)-dependent cysteine proteases whose members are expressed ubiquitously or in a tissue-specific manner. Calpain has been demonstrated to mediate specific Ca(2+)-dependent processes including cell fusion, mitosis and meiosis. We herein followed the expression pattern of calpain's ubiquitous isoforms, 1 and 2, throughout spermatogenesis at the RNA and protein levels by RT-PCR and Western blotting analysis. Both RNA and protein studies revealed that these isoforms are expressed in all spermatogenic cells. The expression of calpain 1 levels is slightly higher in spermatocytes entering the meiotic phase. Both calpain isoforms are also expressed in mouse spermatozoa and are localized to the acrosomal cap. Inducing capacitated spermatozoa to undergo the acrosome reaction in the presence of a selective calpain inhibitor significantly reduced the acrosome reaction rate in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, calpain, a pluripotential protease with numerous substrates, may serve as an effector in more than one pathway in the complex process of spermatogenesis and in the events preceding fertilization, such as the acrosome reaction.     

The effectiveness of counseling groups in reducing stress of parents of children with learning disabilities.

This study investigated the impact of counseling groups as compared with educational groups on attitudes, levels of stress, and sense of control among parents of a child with learning disabilities (LD) and a non-LD sibling. Conducted in one learning center in Israel, the study comprised 49 families in the counseling group and 46 families in the educational group. Results of the hierarchical analyses (mixed models) indicated significantly higher gains in the counseling groups for both mothers (who participated in the intervention) and fathers (who did not), mostly with respect to the child with LD. Children's self-reports supported these gains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What lies behind chemotherapy-induced ovarian toxicity?

Seminal advances in anticancer therapy as well as supportive care strategies have led to improved survival rates, posing an emphasis on preserving an optimum quality of life after cancer treatment. This recognition has paved the way to an increasing research of long-term side effects, both clinical and preclinical and to an ongoing design of a supportive care system to evaluate and treat long-term adverse effects of anticancer treatments, including the impact on fertility. As with many adverse effects induced by anticancer treatments, the literature comprised mostly clinical data with regard to chemotherapy-induced gonadotoxicity, while understanding of the biological mechanism is lagging. The impact of anticancer treatments on female fertility depends on the women's age at the time of treatment, the chemotherapy protocol, the duration, and total cumulative dose administered. Several suggested mechanisms that underlie chemotherapy-induced gonadotoxicity have been described. This review illustrates the clinical evidence, as well as its supportive preclinical studies, while proceeding from the 'bedside to the bench work' and provides an insight to what lies behind chemotherapy-induced gonadotoxicity.     

Sequence‐Independent Synthesis of π‐conjugated Arylenevinylene Oligomers using Bifunctional Thiophene Monomers

Sequence‐independent or “click” chemistry is applied for the preparation of a series of novel and structurally similar π‐conjugated oligomers. The new oligomers are prepared using Wittig–Horner chemistry from bifunctional building blocks that can be interconnected to one another at any desired sequence. The bifunctional building blocks consist of aromatic skeletons with acetal protected aldehyde groups on one side and a phosphonic acid diethyl ester group para to the aldehyde functionality. The first step in the arylenevinylene formation is a Wittig–Horner coupling of a functionalized aldehyde with the methyl phosphonate ester ylide of a bifunctional monomer. A stepwise protection–deprotection process is applied for the preparation of structurally similar π‐conjugated oligo‐phenylene vinylenes. New di‐, tri‐, penta‐, and hepta‐phenylenevinylenes are prepared and characterized. Selected penta‐arylenevinylenes are incorporated as the semiconductor channel in organic field‐effect transistors.     

"Objective and subjective work monotony: Effects on job satisfaction, psychological distress, and absenteeism in blue-collar workers": Correction.

Reports an error in the original article by S. Melamed et al (Journal of Applied Psychology, 1995[Feb], Vol 80[1], 29–42). The last two numerical entries in the Long-cycle RW vs. VW row in Table 3 were incorrect. The corrected table, which also includes a clarification to Footnote a, is presented. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1995-23399-001). The relation of objective work conditions (work underload, repetitive or varied work) and subjective monotony to job satisfaction, psychological distress, and sickness absence was examined in 1,278 male and female workers. Subjective monotony was moderately related to the objective work conditions. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that the effects on all outcomes were partially mediated by subjective monotony and were also directly related to repetitive work and work underload. Job satisfaction and psychological distress were mainly related to subjective monotony, whereas sickness absence was equally related to the work conditions and subjective monotony. The highest impact was observed for short-cycle repetitive work. Testing sex interactions revealed that sickness absence was related to the work conditions in women but not in men… (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)