Recombinant adeno-associated virus targets passenger gene expression to cones in primate retina

Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) is a promising vector for gene therapy of photoreceptor-based diseases. Previous studies have demonstrated that rAAV serotypes 2 and 5 can transduce both rod and cone photoreceptors in rodents and dogs, and it can target rods, but not cones in primates. Here we report that using a human cone-specific enhancer and promoter to regulate expression of a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene in an rAAV-5 vector successfully targeted expression of the reporter gene to primate cones, and the time course of GFP expression was able to be monitored in a living animal using the RetCam II digital imaging system.     

Occurrence, synthesis, and mammalian cell cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of haloacetamides: an emerging class of nitrogenous drinking water disinfection byproducts

The haloacetamides, a class of emerging nitrogenous drinking water disinfection byproduct (DBPs), were analyzed for their chronic cytotoxicity and for the induction of genomic DNA damage in Chinese hamster ovary cells. The rank order for cytotoxicity of 13 haloacetamides was DIAcAm > IAcAm > BAcAm > TBAcAm > BIAcAm > DBCAcAm > CIAcAm > BDCAcAm > DBAcAm > BCAcAm > CAcAm > DCAcAm > TCAcAm. The rank order of their genotoxicity was TBAcAm > DIAcAm approximately equal to IAcAm > BAcAm > DBCAcAm > BIAcAm > BDCAcAm > CIAcAm > BCAcAm > DBAcAm > CAcAm > TCAcAm. DCAcAm was not genotoxic. Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity were primarily determined by the leaving tendency of the halogens and followed the order I > Br > > Cl. With the exception of brominated trihaloacetamides, most of the toxicity rank order was consistent with structure-activity relationship expectations. For di- and trihaloacetamides, the presence of at least one good leaving halogen group (I or Br but not Cl) appears to be critical for significant toxic activity. Log P was not a factor for monohaloacetamides but may play a role in the genotoxicity of trihaloacetamides and possible activation of dihaloacetamides by intracellular GSH and -SH compounds.     

Why some capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) use probing tools (and others do not).

Tufted capuchins (Cebus apella) were provided with a task that facilitated the use and modification of sticks as probing tools. It was found that subjects aged 10 years or older at initial task exposure were less likely to use tools than were younger subjects. Furthermore, juveniles whose mothers died before the subjects were aged 3 years were less likely to use tools than were juveniles whose mothers survived through this period. The ability to use tools was not related to subject sex or to access to the tool site or raw tool materials. Subjects modified tools both before and during their use, and the relative percentage of tools modified increased with subject age. Thus, it appears that capuchins most readily acquire tool use before the age of 10 years and that early disruption of the mother–infant relationship has deleterious effects on the emergence of instrumental behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depressed writing: Cognitive distortions in the works of depressed and nondepressed poets and writers.

Previous research has consistently found that poets and writers suffer from higher rates of psychological disturbance than the general population; what is lacking in the research is analysis of the works themselves. This study examined cognitive distortions, a known indicator of depression, in writing samples of 36 eminent depressed authors and 36 eminent nondepressed authors. Results indicate that depressed authors have more cognitive distortions in their writings than nondepressed authors. However, greater significance was found between poets and prose writers, with poets having substantially more cognitive distortions in their works. An interaction effect was found between study group (depressed or control) and medium (poetry or prose) indicating that nondepressed prose writers had significantly fewer cognitive distortions than nondepressed poets, depressed poets, and depressed writers. Differences in gender and time period are explored as well. Findings suggest a general acceptance of depressive thinking and writing for poets that is not present for prose writers. Implications for the effectiveness of writing as a form of psychotherapy are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interparental conflict, negative parenting, and children's adjustment: Bridging links between parents' depression and children's psychological distress.

Pathways linking parental depressive symptoms, adult relationship insecurity, interparental conflict, negative parenting, and children's psychological adjustment (internalizing symptoms and externalizing problems) were assessed using a 3-wave longitudinal research design. Two-parent families (N = 352) with 11- to 13-year-old children (179 boys, 173 girls) participated in the study. Maternal and paternal depressive symptoms were associated with insecurity in adult close relationships assessed 12 months later, which was concurrently related to heightened levels of interparental conflict. Controlling for children's initial symptom levels, interparental conflict was related to child appraisals of father and mother rejection assessed an additional 12 months later, which were related to children's internalizing symptoms and externalizing problems, respectively. Results are discussed with regard to the implications for understanding the complex interplay between adult depressive symptoms, attributions in close adult relationships, interparental conflict, negative parenting, and children's psychological adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Suicide Attempt Self-Injury Interview (SASII): Development, reliability, and validity of a scale to assess suicide attempts and intentional self-injury.

The authors describe the development of the Suicide Attempt Self-Injury Interview (SASII), an instrument designed to assess the factors involved in nonfatal suicide attempts and intentional self-injury. Using 4 cohorts of participants, authors generated SASII items and evaluated them with factor and content analyses and internal consistency statistics. The final measure was assessed for reliability and validity with collateral measures. The SASII assesses variables related to method, lethality and impulsivity of the act, likelihood of rescue, suicide intent or ambivalence and other motivations, consequences, and habitual self-injury. The SASII was found to have very good interrater reliability and adequate validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Emotion dysregulation in the intergenerational transmission of romantic relationship conflict.

The role of emotion dysregulation in the intergenerational transmission of romantic relationship conflict was examined using multimethod and multiagent prospective longitudinal data across 21 years for 190 men and their mothers and fathers. As predicted, an individual’s emotion dysregulation was a key mediator in the transmission of relationship conflict, along with poor parenting skills. Parents’ emotion dysregulation was directly related to their son’s emotion dysregulation, which was in turn associated with the son’s later relationship conflict. Additionally, parents’ emotion dysregulation was significantly related to their poor discipline skills, which were linked to the son’s emotion dysregulation and eventual relationship conflict. Findings highlight emotion dysregulation as a significant mechanism explaining the continuity of romantic relationship conflict across generations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is a sense of inequity an ancestral primate trait? Testing social inequity in cotton top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus).

To address a controversy in the literature concerning whether monkeys show an aversion to inequity, individuals of a New World monkey species, cotton top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) were tested in an offering task and in a bartering task. At issue was whether the monkeys rejected rewards because of a violation of expectancy of the preferred reward, or whether they rejected rewards because of a sensitivity to socially mediated inequity. The data from both tasks indicated that the subjects were more likely to reject when preferred rewards were presented, either because of another animal eating the reward (the social condition) or because of rewards being presented but inaccessible. The bartering task led to the only behavioral indication of aversion due specifically to social inequity, which was demonstrated when tamarins' sensitivity to the difference in rewards increased with exposure to other tamarins working to receive the preferred rewards. The results suggest that social inequity aversion will be assessed by tamarins, and possibly by other primates, only under conditions of limited resources and a requirement of work, which may make the situation a bit more competitive and thus drives attention toward both social and reward evaluation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)