Use of concrete reinforcement to facilitate verbal initiations in adolescent group therapy.

Administered token reinforcement to 6 disturbed hospitalized adolescents contingent upon their emission of verbal initiations in group therapy. Results support the hypothesis that adolescents who are typically nonverbal and considered poor candidates for verbal-type psychotherapy can be shaped into emitting a substantially higher rate of verbal initiations. Reversal procedures demonstrated the expected extinction effects. The procedures were successful enought so that typical "silent" Ss were reappraised in terms of their verbal potential. Once the rate of initiations increased, peer group pressure used social reinforcement to bring about a decrease in silly, off-topic verbalizations and a subsequent increase of initiations which were appropriate and relevant to the interests of the group. (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of logic in moral reasoning and development.

The frequently examined hypothesis proposed by L. Kohlberg (1969) that logical development is a necessary but insufficient condition of moral development was examined in cross-age analyses of approximately 225 adolescents and adults, aged 16–50 yrs. Two kinds of moral scores—one representing Kohlberg's system, and the other an interactional formulation—and 3 scores of formal operations based on Piagetian tasks were used. To explicate the logical/moral relation, controls for age, socioeconomic status, IQ, or educational levels were applied to correlational analyses within sex groups. Also, a sex-differentiated structural analysis was done. Neither set of results was consistent with Kohlberg's hypothesis. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Molecular and phylogenetic approaches for assessing sources of Cryptosporidium contamination in water

The high sequence diversity and heterogeneity observed within species or genotypes of Cryptosporidium requires phylogenetic approaches for the identification of novel sequences obtained from the environment. A long-term study on Cryptosporidium in the agriculturally-intensive South Nation River watershed in Ontario, Canada was undertaken, in which 60 sequence types were detected. Of these sequence types 33 were considered novel with no identical matches in GenBank. Detailed phylogenetic analysis identified that most sequences belonged to 17 previously described species: Cryptosporidium andersoni, Cryptosporidium baileyi, Cryptosporidium hominis, Cryptosporidium parvum, Cryptosporidium ubiquitum, Cryptosporidium meleagridis, muskrat I, muskrat II, deer mouse II, fox, vole, skunk, shrew, W12, W18, W19 and W25 genotypes. In addition, two new genotypes were identified, W27 and W28. C. andersoni and the muskrat II genotype were most frequently detected in the water samples. Species associated with livestock made up 39% of the total molecular detections, while wildlife associated species and genotypes accounted for 55% of the Cryptosporidium identified. The human pathogenic species C. hominis and C. parvum had an overall prevalence of 1.6% in the environment, indicating a small risk to humans from the Cryptosporidium present in the watershed. Phylogenetic analysis and knowledge of host-parasite relationships are fundamental in using Cryptosporidium as a source-tracking or human health risk assessment tool.     

Comparative study of the removal of phenolic compounds by biological and non-biological adsorbents

The ability of biological and non-biological adsorbents to remove 2-nitrophenol (2-NP) and 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) from aqueous solutions in batch experiments at room temperature was compared. The marine seaweeds Macrocystis integrifolia Bory (S1) and Lessonia nigrescens Bory (S2) were cross-linked with CaCl(2) to enhance their mechanical properties. Natural bentonite was chemically exchanged with hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (B1) and bencyltriethylammonium chloride (B2) to increase their affinity towards organic compounds as well. The adsorption capacity of all of the adsorbents strongly depends on solution pH, whereas equilibrium assays showed a mixed mechanism according to the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The maximum adsorption capacity of 2-NP follows the trend: S1>S2>B2>B1 within the range of 97.37 and 18.64 mg g(-1) whereas for 2-CP, it ranged between 24.18 and 9.95 mg g(-1) with the trend: S1>S2>B2 approximately B1. The importance of the octanol-water partition coefficient as the main factor on the adsorption of these compounds on two different kinds of adsorbents is discussed.     

Increased CD47 and MHC Class I Inhibitory Signals Expression in Senescent CD1 Primary Mouse Lung Fibroblasts

Cellular senescence is more than a proliferative arrest in response to various stimuli. Senescent cells (SC) participate in several physiological processes, and their adequate removal is essential to maintain tissue and organism homeostasis. However, SC accumulation in aging and age-related diseases alters the tissue microenvironment leading to deterioration. The immune system clears the SC, but the specific scenarios and mechanisms related to recognizing and eliminating them are unknown. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the existence of three regulatory signals of phagocytic function, CD47, major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I), and calreticulin, present in the membrane of SC. Therefore, primary fibroblasts were isolated from CD1 female mice lungs, and stress-induced premature senescence (SIPS) was induced with hydrogen peroxide. Replicative senescence (RS) was used as a second senescent model. Our results revealed a considerable increment of CD47 and MHC-I in RS and SIPS fibroblasts. At the same time, no significant changes were found in calreticulin, suggesting that those signals might be associated with evading immune system recognition and thus averting senescent cells clearance.     

The PDE4 Inhibitor Tanimilast Restrains the Tissue-Damaging Properties of Human Neutrophils

Neutrophils, the most abundant subset of leukocytes in the blood, play a pivotal role in host response against invading pathogens. However, in respiratory diseases, excessive infiltration and activation of neutrophils can lead to tissue damage. Tanimilast-international non-proprietary name of CHF6001—is a novel inhaled phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor in advanced clinical development for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a chronic inflammatory lung disease where neutrophilic inflammation plays a key pathological role. Human neutrophils from healthy donors were exposed to pro-inflammatory stimuli in the presence or absence of tanimilast and budesonide—a typical inhaled corticosteroid drug-to investigate the modulation of effector functions including adherence to endothelial cells, granule protein exocytosis, release of extracellular DNA traps, cytokine secretion, and cell survival. Tanimilast significantly decreased neutrophil-endothelium adhesion, degranulation, extracellular DNA traps casting, and cytokine secretion. In contrast, it promoted neutrophil survival by decreasing both spontaneous apoptosis and cell death in the presence of pro-survival factors. The present work suggests that tanimilast can alleviate the severe tissue damage caused by massive recruitment and activation of neutrophils in inflammatory diseases such as COPD.     

Therapists’ views on working with bilingual Spanish–English speaking clients: A qualitative investigation.

Through semistructured interviews, language switching in therapy was examined with 9 bilingual Spanish and English therapists. Therapists were asked about how and when they switched from one language to another during treatment, as well as the ways in which their clients’ switched languages. After the use of consensual qualitative research methods (C. E. Hill et al., 2005; C. E. Hill, B. J. Thompson, & E. N. Williams, 1997), the results revealed that therapists used language switching as a mechanism to establish trust, bond with clients, and promote disclosure through the use of specific phrases or specific words; particularly, the use of Spanish idiomatic expressions (dichos) served to engage, redirect, and increase client self-understanding and awareness. Therapists reported that their clients switched from English to Spanish when recounting experiences that involved certain emotions (e.g., anger) and represented themselves differently depending on the language they were speaking. Therapists also reported that their clients switched from English to Spanish to improve communication and to connect with them. Future directions for research and implications for training and practice are outlined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Latex particles sensitized with proteins of Leptospira interrogans for application in immunoagglutination assays

Physical adsorption and chemical coupling of recombinant proteins of Leptospira interrogans onto polystyrene and core-shell carboxylated particles were, respectively, investigated with the aim of producing latex–protein complexes to be used in immunoagglutination assays able to detect the leptospirosis disease in either humans or animals. To this effect, a protein lysate of crude extracts was evaluated, and sensitizations were carried out at different pHs, with the antigenic proteins approach to the particle surface favored at pH close to their isoelectric point. In the covalent coupling experiments, high fractions of proteins were chemically bound to carboxyl groups on the particle surface and higher densities of linked proteins were obtained for particles exhibiting greater carboxyl group densities. The produced latex–protein complexes were tested in immunoagglutination assays, by turbidimetry and a visual method, from a panel that included positive and negative bovine, canine, and human sera. The area under receiver operating characteristic curves was used as an index of accuracy. The complexes obtained by covalent coupling of proteins on the latex of higher density of carboxyl groups allowed an acceptable discrimination between the studied positive and negative sera.     

Variation and Genetic Structure in Platanus mexicana (Platanaceae) along Riparian Altitudinal Gradient

Platanus mexicana is a dominant arboreal species of riparian ecosystems. These ecosystems are associated with altitudinal gradients that can generate genetic differences in the species, especially in the extremes of the distribution. However, studies on the altitudinal effect on genetic variation to riparian species are scarce. In Mexico, the population of P. mexicana along the Colipa River (Veracruz State) grows below its reported minimum altitude range, possibly the lowest where this tree grows. This suggests that altitude might be an important factor in population genetics differentiation. We examined the genetic variation and population structuring at four sites with different altitudes (70, 200, 600 and 1700 m a.s.l.) using ten inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) markers. The highest value for Shannon index and Nei’s gene diversity was obtained at 1700 m a.s.l. (He = 0.27, Ne = 1.47, I = 0.42) and polymorphism reached the top value at the middle altitude (% p = 88.57). Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) and STRUCTURE analysis indicated intrapopulation genetic differentiation. The arithmetic average (UPGMA) dendrogram identified 70 m a.s.l. as the most genetically distant site. The genetic structuring resulted from limited gene flow and genetic drift. This is the first report of genetic variation in populations of P. mexicana in Mexico. This research highlights its importance as a dominant species, and its ecological and evolutionary implications in altitudinal gradients of riparian ecosystems.