Loss of LKB1 kinase activity in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, and evidence for allelic and locus heterogeneity

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by mucocutaneous pigmentation and hamartomatous polyps. There is an increased risk of benign and malignant tumors in the gastrointestinal tract and in extraintestinal tissues. One PJS locus has been mapped to chromosome 19p13.3; a second locus is suspected on chromosome 19q13.4 in a minority of families. The PJS gene on 19p13.3 has recently been cloned, and it encodes the serine/threonine kinase LKB1. The gene, which is ubiquitously expressed, is composed of 10 exons spanning 23 kb. Several LKB1 mutations have been reported in heterozygosity in PJS patients. In this study, we screened for LKB1 mutations in nine PJS families of American, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Turkish, and Indian origin and detected seven novel mutations. These included two frameshift mutations, one four-amino-acid deletion, two amino-acid substitutions, and two splicing errors. Expression of mutant LKB1 proteins (K78I, D176N, W308C, and L67P) and assessment of their autophosphorylation activity revealed a loss of the kinase activity in all of these mutants. These results provide direct evidence that the elimination of the kinase activity of LKB1 is probably responsible for the development of the PJS phenotypes. In two Indian families, we failed to detect any LKB1 mutation; in one of these families, we previously had detected linkage to markers on 19q13.3-4, which suggests locus heterogeneity of PJS. The elucidation of the molecular etiology of PJS and the positional cloning of the second potential PJS gene will further elucidate the involvement of kinases/phosphatases in the development of cancer-predisposing syndromes.     

Depression, general distress, and causal attributions among university students.

Attempted to replicate I. H. Gotlib's (see record 1984-15153-001) finding of a high intercorrelation among various measures of distress (depression, state anxiety, trait anxiety, psychosomatic complaints, and assertiveness) within an undergraduate sample. Results obtained from 134 undergraduates found the Beck Depression Inventory to be highly correlated with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory—Form Y, the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule, and the Psychosomatic Symptom Checklist, although the assertiveness measure demonstrated some discriminant validity according to a principal-components analysis. A canonical correlation analysis revealed that all 5 measures of distress were significantly related to causal attributions concerning both positive and negative events on the Attributional Style Questionnaire, partially replicating Gotlib's results. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Project Genesis: Assessing the Efficacy of Problem-Solving Therapy for Distressed Adult Cancer Patients.

The efficacy of problem-solving therapy (PST) to reduce psychological distress was assessed among a sample of 132 adult cancer patients. A second condition provided PST for both the patient and a significant other. At posttreatment, all participants receiving PST fared significantly better than waiting list control patients. Further, improvements in problem solving were found to correlate significantly with improvements in psychological distress and overall quality of life. No differences in symptom reduction were identified between the 2 treatment protocols. At a 6-month follow-up, however, patients who received PST along with their significant other reported lower levels of psychological distress as compared with members of the PST-alone condition on approximately half of the outcome measures. These effects were further maintained 1-year posttreatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Posttraumatic stress disorder among U.S. Army reservists: Comment on Stretch.

Stretch (1985) presented questionnaire data from an epidemiologic study concerning posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among U.S. Army Reserve Vietnam and Vietnam-era veterans. Results indicated a lower prevalence rate of PTSD symptoms among reservists than that among civilian Vietnam veterans but a higher rate than that among active duty veterans. These results were interpreted as supportive of the hypothesis that reservists received more social support due to their continuing affiliation, thereby moderating the presence of PTSD within this population. Due to various methodological problems within that investigation, it is suggested that such an interpretation remains empirical. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive/behavioural formulations of depression and gender prevalence rates: Integration or expulsion?

Comments on J. M. Stoppard's (see record 1989-29654-001) discussion of the adequacy of cognitive/behavioral theories for understanding depression in women. The author suggests that within the problem-solving formulation of depression, 3 variables account for differences in prevalence between men and women: problem solving coping, experienced stress, and the problem solving?×?stress interaction. (0 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Editorial.

Once again, a change has occurred. As you probably noticed, the color of the cover for this issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (JCCP) is different, signaling the “changing of the guard” of the editorial team. JCCP has a long-standing legacy of excellence in publishing high-quality, cutting-edge, and innovative research and scholarship in clinical psychology. Its increasing Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) impact factor rating continues to attest to its influence on the field overall. As the new editor, I intend to do my utmost to preserve this reputation. Moreover, I am humbled upon reflecting on those before me in this position, as well as excited about shepherding such a premier journal over the course of the next 6 years. I am cognizant not only of the impact that this journal has on the science of clinical psychology but also of its influence on clinical practice and service delivery via the dissemination and adoption of evidenced-based interventions. In this context, I am grateful for having been able to assemble such a high-caliber team of associate and consulting editors. This editorial presents some ideas for the future of JCCP in terms of content, structure, and format. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inorganic microballoon production from shinju-gan using an entrained bed reactor

Hollow inorganic microparticles were produced continuously from a volcanic glass (shinju-gan or per-lite) using an entrained bed reactor. The microparticles are called expanded perlite. The raw material was a sieved fraction (104 μm in volume average diameter) of crushed perlite, which is from China. The effects of temperature and residence time on expanded perlite yield were investigated.     

Tool wear control in single-crystal diamond cutting of steel by using the ultra-intermittent cutting method

Excessive tool wear is a major drawback to the ultraprecision cutting of steel with geometrically defined single-crystal diamond tools. This paper presents a new approach to reduce this wear. In general, the wear of the diamond tool is due to chemical reactions such as diffusion into the steel, oxidation, graphitization, and carbide formation under cutting conditions of high temperature and high pressure. To suppress these types of chemical reactions, the contact time between the diamond tool and the steel in the cutting process was controlled by intermittent cutting method such as fly-cutting or milling. A series of intermittent cutting experiments were carried out to control the tool–workpiece contact time in one cutting cycle by changing the cutting speed and cutting length in each cutting cycle. The experimental results showed that the diamond tool wear was highly dependent on the tool–workpiece contact time, regardless of the cutting speed, and that the wear was greatly reduced by decreasing the contact time to less than 0.3 ms under these cutting conditions. It is expected that steel can be successfully cut with a single-crystal diamond tool by controlling the tool–workpiece contact time.     

Vertical mass and momentum transport in open-channel flows with submerged vegetations

The importance of flow and turbulence to the ecology of aquatic benthic organism has been widely reported. Aquatic vegetation is one of environmental variables that influence turbulence and the ecological condition of rivers. Aquatic canopies have the potential to greatly improve water quality through the removal of nutrients and trace metals. To describe the efficiency of this removal, we must be able to quantify the rate of vertical mixing. In fully submerged vegetation flows, coherent turbulent motions are generated near the vegetation edge and these large-scale eddies control the vertical exchange of mass and momentum. It is therefore important for river management to investigate hydrodynamic characteristics and coherent eddies in open-channel flows with vegetation canopies. Turbulence structure and transport mechanism of momentum in vegetated flows have been investigated intensively in the past decade.However, the effect of the submerged vegetation on the vertical mass transport and turbulent diffusion has not been fully investigated. Therefore, in the present study, continuous dye injection experiments were conducted to evaluate the mass transport structure in open-channel flow with rigid vegetation models by changing the vegetation density. A combination technique between PIV and planar laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) was developed by using two sets of CCD cameras, to measure the instantaneous velocity and concentration field simultaneously. The technique is capable of determining the turbulent scalar flux as well as the Reynolds stress, mean and fluctuating velocity and concentration fields. Consequently, the effects of coherent vortices on the vertical turbulent diffusivity were examined in detail.