Behavioral disturbances in transgenic mice overexpressing the V717F Β-amyloid precursor protein.

PDAPP transgenic mice have been shown to develop age dependently much of the cerebral histopathology associated with Alzheimer's disease. PDAPP mice (3–10 months old) were tested in a battery of memory tasks to determine whether they develop memory–behavioral deficits and whether these deficits occur before or after amyloid deposition. PDAPP mice manifest robust impairments in a radial-maze spatial discrimination task at all ages tested. Mild deficits were observed in a barpress learning task in 3-month-old PDAPP mice. In contrast, PDAPP mice show an age-dependent decrease in spontaneous object-recognition performance that appears to be severe at ages when amyloid deposition is known to occur. Thus, the PDAPP mouse shows severe deficits in the radial maze well before amyloid plaque deposition, whereas object-recognition performance decreases with age and may be associated with amyloid deposition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Berries and Their Polyphenols as a Potential Therapy for Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction: A Mini-Review

Ischemia with no obstructive coronary artery disease (INOCA) is a common diagnosis with a higher prevalence in women compared to men. Despite the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease and no structural heart disease, INOCA is associated with major adverse cardiovascular outcomes as well a significant contributor to angina and related disability. A major feature of INOCA is coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD), which can be detected by non-invasive imaging and invasive coronary physiology assessments in humans. CMD is associated with epicardial endothelial-dependent and -independent dysfunction, diffuse atherosclerosis, and left-ventricular hypertrophy, all of which lead to insufficient blood flow to the myocardium. Inflammatory and oxidative stress signaling, upregulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and adrenergic receptor signaling are major drivers of CMD. Treatment of CMD centers around addressing cardiovascular risk factors; however, there are limited treatment options for those who do not respond to traditional anti-anginal therapies. In this review, we highlight the ability of berry-derived polyphenols to modulate those pathways. The evidence supports the need for future clinical trials to investigate the effectiveness of berries and their polyphenols in the treatment of CMD in INOCA patients.     

A systematic review of the literature on plastic pollution in the Laurentian Great Lakes and its effects on freshwater biota

Plastic pollution is ubiquitous in freshwater systems worldwide, and the Laurentian Great Lakes are no exception. We conducted a systematic review to synthesize the current state of the literature on plastic pollution, including macroplastics (>5 mm) and microplastics (<5 mm), in the Great Lakes. Thirty-four publications were used in our systematic review. We found ubiquitous contamination of microplastics in surface water, with maximum abundances exceeding those in ocean gyres. There are also high levels of plastic contamination reported across benthic sediments and shorelines of the Great Lakes. Citizen science data reveals macroplastic across Great Lakes shorelines, with more than three million pieces of plastic litter recorded over a span of three years. We completed a second systematic review of plastic pollution and its impact on freshwater ecosystems in general to inform how plastic in the Great Lakes may impact wildlife. Among studies published in the literature, we found 390 tested effects, 234 (60%) of which were detected and 156 (40%) of which were not; almost all of the freshwater effects (>98%) were tested on microplastics. Based on a subset of these papers, we found that the shape and size of a particle likely affects whether an effect is detected, e.g., more effects are detected for smaller particles. Finally, we identify gaps in scientific knowledge that need to be addressed and discuss how the state of the science can inform management strategies.     

Ecological effects of cellular computing in microbial populations

Gene regulatory networks allow single cells to adopt a wide range of different phenotypes in response to changes in environmental conditions. The ecological implications of these cellular computations are poorly understood, and they are largely absent from models of microbial community assembly. Here, we highlight a number of examples where ecological interactions are or may be affected by cellular computations. Our review identifies specific opportunities for integrating cellular decision-making into mathematical models of microbe-microbe interactions and community assembly. We argue that incorporating cellular decision-making into microbial ecology will be critical in order to gain a quantitative understanding of microbial biogeography.     

Clarifying the factors that undermine behavioral inhibition system functioning in psychopathy.

Psychopathic individuals are generally unresponsive to motivational and emotional cues that facilitate behavioral regulation. A putative mechanism for this deficiency is Gray's (1981) behavioral inhibition system (BIS). To evaluate the association between psychopathy and BIS functioning, we administered a laboratory-based assessment of BIS functioning to a group of psychopathic offenders assessed with the Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL–R; Hare, 2003). In addition, we tested the hypothesis that the effects of working memory load on BIS functioning would interact differentially with the PCL–R factors. Replicating previous results, psychopathic offenders were less sensitive to BIS-related cues than controls. As predicted, working memory load interacted with Factor 2 (antisocial/impulsive), with higher scores predicting weaker BIS functioning under high-load though not low-load conditions. Results suggest new insights concerning the relationship among working memory, reward sensitivity, and BIS functioning in psychopathy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Variation in Plant Defense against Invasive Herbivores: Evidence for a Hypersensitive Response in Eastern Hemlocks (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Tsuga canadensis</Emphasis>)

Herbivores can trigger a wide array of morphological and chemical changes in their host plants. Feeding by some insects induces a defensive hypersensitive response, a defense mechanism consisting of elevated H₂O₂ levels and tissue death at the site of herbivore feeding. The invasive hemlock woolly adelgid Adelges tsugae (‘HWA’) and elongate hemlock scale Fiorinia externa (‘EHS’) feed on eastern hemlocks; although both are sessile sap feeders, HWA causes more damage than EHS. The rapid rate of tree death following HWA infestation has led to the suggestion that feeding induces a hypersensitive response in hemlock trees. We assessed the potential for an herbivore-induced hypersensitive response in eastern hemlocks by measuring H₂O₂ levels in foliage from HWA-infested, EHS-infested, and uninfested trees. Needles with settled HWA or EHS had higher H₂O₂ levels than control needles, suggesting a localized hypersensitive plant response. Needles with no direct contact to settled HWA also had high H₂O₂ levels, suggesting that HWA infestation may induce a systemic defense response in eastern hemlocks. There was no similar systemic defensive response in the EHS treatment. Our results showed that two herbivores in the same feeding guild had dramatically different outcomes on the health of their shared host.     

Do we practice what we preach? An exploratory survey of multicultural psychotherapy competencies.

Practitioners are repeatedly encouraged to become multiculturally competent clinicians. But how frequently do professional psychologists intervene in multiculturally responsive ways, and how important do they think it is to do so? From the existing literature, the authors identified 52 recommended multicultural psychotherapy competencies and surveyed 149 professional psychologists regarding these practices and beliefs. Universal, infrequent, and not applicable practices were identified. Overall and for 86% of the individual items, participants did not practice what they preached. In addition, respondents reported that personal and professional experiences were most influential, and guidelines and codes least influential, in their development of multicultural competence. Five practice implications are offered, and suggestions for educators are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluating the generalizability of a fear deficit in psychopathic African American offenders.

Laboratory studies of psychopathy have yielded an impressive array of etiologically relevant findings. To date, however, attempts to demonstrate the generalizability of these findings to African American psychopathic offenders have been largely unsuccessful. The fear deficit has long been regarded as the hallmark of psychopathy, yet the generalizability of this association to African American offenders has not been systematically evaluated. In this study, we used an instructed fear paradigm and fear-potentiated startle to assess this deficit and the factors that moderate its expression in African American offenders. Furthermore, we conceptualized psychopathy using both a unitary and a two-factor model, and we assessed the constructs with both interview-based and self-report measures. Regardless of assessment strategy, results provided no evidence that psychopathy relates to fear deficits in African American offenders. Further research is needed to clarify whether the emotion deficits associated with psychopathy in European American offenders are applicable to African American offenders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)