Continuum of depressive and manic mixed states in patients with bipolar disorder: quantitative measurement and clinical features

Bipolar mixed states combine depressive and manic features, presenting diagnostic and treatment challenges and reflecting a severe form of the illness. DSM-IV criteria for a mixed state require combined depressive and manic syndromes, but a range of mixed states has been described clinically. A unified definition of mixed states would be valuable in understanding their diagnosis, mechanism and treatment implications. We investigated the manner in which depressive and manic features combine to produce a continuum of mixed states. In 88 subjects with bipolar disorder (DSM-IV), we evaluated symptoms and clinical characteristics, and compared depression-based, mania-based, and other published definitions of mixed states. We developed an index of the extent to which symptoms were mixed (Mixed State Index, MSI) and characterized its relationship to clinical state. Predominately manic and depressive mixed states using criteria from recent literature, as well as Kraepelinian mixed states, had similar symptoms and MSI scores. Anxiety correlated significantly with depression scores in manic subjects and with mania scores in depressed subjects. Discriminant function analysis associated mixed states with symptoms of hyperactivity and negative cognitions, but not subjective depressive or elevated mood. High MSI scores were associated with severe course of illness. For depressive or manic episodes, characteristics of mixed states emerged with two symptoms of the opposite polarity. This was a cross-sectional study. Mixed states appear to be a continuum. An index of the degree to which depressive and manic symptoms combine appears useful in identifying and characterizing mixed states. We propose a depressive or manic episode with three or more symptoms of the opposite polarity as a parsimonious definition of a mixed state.     

滨海盐碱地刺槐(Robinia pseudoacacia)混交林土壤水盐动态

以固氮树种刺槐与绒毛白蜡、榆树、臭椿三树种的混交林及其纯林为研究对象,研究了刺槐与不同树种混交对土壤水分、盐分年动态变化的影响。研究结果表明：（1）刺槐与3个树种混交,刺槐臭椿混交林生长最好,均高于各自纯林。（2）混交林一定程度改善了土壤含水量及层次分布,土壤含水量整体趋势均表现出0～60 cm表层土中含水量高于各自纯林,而深层土壤含水量低的特点,只有8月份纯林和混交林的土壤含水量没有显著差别。不同树种在具体层次上略有差异;（3）混交林降低了土壤含盐量,改变了土壤盐分层次分布和年变化规律。不同月份间土壤含盐量随土壤深度、混交树种的变化而变化。深层土壤含盐量高,表层土壤含盐量低,混交林含盐量低于纯林且存在树种差异。混交林与纯林含盐量均雨季低,旱季高;但在某一具体月份各层次含盐量差别不大;不同土层含水量、含盐量与天然降水之间有明显的相关性,天然降水是混交林及纯林土壤水分的主要来源。     

靛玉红、蛇床子素抗外阴阴道念珠菌病混合菌生物膜作用的研究

目的研究中药有效成分靛玉红、蛇床子素抗外阴阴道念珠菌病混合菌生物膜的作用。方法体外建立白念珠菌（Candidaalbicans）铜绿假单胞菌（Pseudomonasaeruginosa,P．a）混合菌生物膜（Biofilm,BF）,XTT减低法及形态学观察白念珠菌混合茵生物膜的形成过程;形态学观察、活菌计数法评价中药有效成分靛玉红（indirubin）、蛇床子素（Ostho）对白念珠菌混合菌生物膜的最小抑膜浓度（SMIC）,并经扫描电镜确认。结果白念珠菌混合菌48h能形成成熟的生物膜;62．5mg／L浓度的靛玉红能抑制白念珠菌混合菌生物膜的形成。500mg／L浓度的蛇床子素未见有抑制白念珠菌混合菌生物膜的作用。结论靛玉红由于具有抗生物膜的作用,可用于预防外阴阴道念珠菌病的复发。     

Inactivation of poliovirus type 1 in mixed human and swine wastes and by bacteria from swine manure.

The persistence of poliovirus type 1 (PO1) in mixed septic tank effluent and swine manure slurry was determined, and the antiviral effects of several bacterial cultures isolated from swine manure slurry were demonstrated. In two field experiments, PO1 was consistently inactivated more rapidly in the mixed waste than in the control Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (D-PBS). D values (time [in days] for a 90% reduction of virus titer) were 18.7 and 29.9 for the mixed waste and 56.5 and 51.8 for the D-PBS control, respectively. The virus inactivation in the mixed waste was temperature dependent. A comparison of PO1 inactivation in raw mixed waste, autoclaved mixed waste, and bacterium-free filtrate of raw mixed waste at the same pH and temperatures provided an initial demonstration that the virus inactivation in the mixed waste is related, at least in part, to microbial activity. At 25 degrees C, the D value was 6.8 for the mixed waste, 11.2 for the autoclaved mixed waste, and 10.5 for the bacterium-free filtrate of raw mixed waste. At 37 degrees C, D values were 1.3, 3.9, and 3.1 for these three suspending media, respectively. Three bacterial isolates which had shown antiviral effects in a screening test each caused virus inactivation in autoclaved mixed waste, in which the effect of other microorganisms was excluded. Inhibition of PO1 inactivation by protease inhibitors suggests that the virus inactivation in the mixed waste was due in part to proteolytic enzymes produced by bacteria in the waste.     

Inactivation of poliovirus type 1 in mixed human and swine wastes and by bacteria from swine manure.

The persistence of poliovirus type 1 (PO1) in mixed septic tank effluent and swine manure slurry was determined, and the antiviral effects of several bacterial cultures isolated from swine manure slurry were demonstrated. In two field experiments, PO1 was consistently inactivated more rapidly in the mixed waste than in the control Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (D-PBS). D values (time [in days] for a 90% reduction of virus titer) were 18.7 and 29.9 for the mixed waste and 56.5 and 51.8 for the D-PBS control, respectively. The virus inactivation in the mixed waste was temperature dependent. A comparison of PO1 inactivation in raw mixed waste, autoclaved mixed waste, and bacterium-free filtrate of raw mixed waste at the same pH and temperatures provided an initial demonstration that the virus inactivation in the mixed waste is related, at least in part, to microbial activity. At 25 degrees C, the D value was 6.8 for the mixed waste, 11.2 for the autoclaved mixed waste, and 10.5 for the bacterium-free filtrate of raw mixed waste. At 37 degrees C, D values were 1.3, 3.9, and 3.1 for these three suspending media, respectively. Three bacterial isolates which had shown antiviral effects in a screening test each caused virus inactivation in autoclaved mixed waste, in which the effect of other microorganisms was excluded. Inhibition of PO1 inactivation by protease inhibitors suggests that the virus inactivation in the mixed waste was due in part to proteolytic enzymes produced by bacteria in the waste.     

Persistence of inoculated hepatitis A virus in mixed human and animal wastes.

The persistence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) was determined both in mixtures of septic tank effluent (STE) with dairy cattle manure slurry (DCMS) and in mixtures of STE with swine manure slurry (SMS). HAV was consistently inactivated more rapidly in the two types of mixed wastes than in STE alone or in the control Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). At 5 degrees C, the D values (time, in days, for a 90% reduction of virus titer) were 34.6 for the mixed STE and DCMS, 48.5 for the mixed STE and SMS, 58.5 for STE, and 217.4 for the Dulbecco's PBS control. At 22 degrees C, the D values were 23.0, 17.1, 35.1, and 90.1 for the four suspension media, respectively. A comparison of HAV inactivation in mixed wastes subjected to different treatments at the same pH and temperatures showed that the virus inactivation in the mixed wastes was related, at least in part, to microbial activity. In mixed STE and DCMS, the D values at 25 degrees C were 8.3 for raw mixed wastes, 15.1 for autoclaved mixed wastes, and 9.6 for bacterium-free filtrate of raw mixed wastes; D values at 37 degrees C were 6.8, 10.1, and 7.0 for these three suspension media, respectively. In mixed STE and SMS, the D values at 25 degrees C were 8.1 for raw mixed wastes, 14.3 for autoclaved mixed wastes, and 9.1 for bacterium-free filtrate of raw mixed wastes; the D values at 37 degrees C were 6.8, 9.4, and 6.9 for the three suspensions, respectively.     

Composition of octyl glucoside-phosphatidylcholine mixed micelles

The composition of mixed micelles of egg phosphatidylcholine (PC) and octyl glucoside was studied by a novel technique based on measuring resonance energy-transfer efficiency between two fluorescent lipid probes present in trace amounts. Equations were derived for calculating the stoichiometry of the composition of mixed micelles from the energy-transfer measurements. These were applied to determining the average number of lipid molecules in the octyl glucoside-egg PC mixed micelle as a function of detergent concentration. The average number of detergent molecules in these mixed micelles was independent of lipid concentration in the range studied (0-500 microM). The dependence of mixed micelle stoichiometry on the concentration of aqueous (monomeric) octyl glucoside is consistent with the assumptions of ideal mixing of the two amphiphiles in the mixed micelles and that mixed micelles can be treated as a distinct phase.     

Insulin responses to mixed meals: comparison of an artificial beta cell and normal beta cells.

The peripheral glucose and free insulin levels seen following a mixed meal in six insulin-dependent diabetic patients whose insulin was administered by a glucose-controlled insulin infusion system (GCIIS) were compared to those of normal subjects who received the same mixed meal or who were given separately carbohydrate, protein, or fat in amounts equivalent to those contained in the mixed meal. Patients treated with the GCIIS achieved nearly normal glucose levels immediately after the mixed meal, but this was accompanied by marked hyperinsulinemia. In the period from 120 to 240 minutes after the start of the mixed meal, the GCIIS duplicates the insulin levels produced by the normal pancreas after a glucose meal and, with appropriate algorithm constants, closely approximates those seen after a mixed meal.     

杉木拟赤杨混交林林分生产力及生态效应研究

 本文从林分结构、生物量、群落特征、生产力、培肥土壤、涵养水源及林内小气候等方面对不同混交模式的杉木拟赤杨混交林及其纯林进行的研究结果表明：杉木拟赤杨是具有较高生产力和协调种间关系能力的针阔混交树种。7年生3:1带状混交林蓄积量和生物量分别比杉木纯林提高7.24％和18.22％,同时混交林还表现出比杉木纯林更好的培肥土壤、涵养水源、改善林内小气候等生态功能。应用AHP法进行不同混交模式的综合选择结果表明：3:1杉木拟赤杨带状混交模式是值得南方林区大力推广的杉阔混交模式。     

Role of mixed‐species flocks in the use of adjacent savannas by forest birds in the central Cerrado,Brazil

Abstract: We examined the role of mixed‐species flocks for forest birds during their breeding and non‐breeding seasons in the use of savannas adjacent to forests in central Cerrado, Brazil. Transect surveys (n = 64) were conducted in eight savanna patches. Distances of birds from forests were estimated. Recorded birds were classified as members or not of mixed‐species flocks. About half of the bird species recorded in savannas were found in at least one mixed‐species flock. As distance from the forest increased, the number of species in mixed‐species flocks tended not to vary, while the number of species foraging alone or in mono‐specific groups decreased. Thus, for some forest species, participation in mixed‐species flocks allowed a greater use of more distant savannas. This tendency of being in mixed‐species flocks at greater distances from forests also can be interpreted as a reluctance to forage alone or in mono‐specific groups due to higher predation risk in less protective vegetation distant from cover. There was strong seasonal variation in the participation of bird species in mixed‐species flocks. There were significantly more species in mixed‐species flocks than out of these associations in the non‐breeding season, while differences in the breeding season were not significant. These patterns occurred, in part because mixed‐species flocks tended to be more frequent, to have more species and to forage at greater distances from forests during the early non‐breeding season than in other periods. This study suggests that the formation of mixed‐species flocks plays an important role in promoting the use of adjacent savannas by forest birds at forest/savanna boundaries in Cerrado. It also pointed out a novel advantage gained by birds with participation in mixed‐species flocks – greater use of adjacent vegetation patches.     

PMR relaxation times of micelles of the nonionic surfactant Triton X-100 and mixed micelles with phospholipids.

Previous pmr studies at 220 MHz have led to the suggestion that phosphatidylcholine and the nonionic surfactant Trition-X-100 form mixed micellar structures at high molar ratios of trition to phosphalipid. These mixed micelles provide one form of the phospholipid which the enzyme phospholipase A2 can utilize as substrate. Spin-lattice relaxation times (T1) and spin-spin relaxation times (T2) obtained from line widths for resolvable protons in Triton X-100 micelles and mixed micelles with egg phosphatidycholine and dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine are reported. They suggest that the structure of the mixed micelles is generally similar to that of pure Triton X-100 micelles. The T1 values for the phsopholipid in the mixed micelles are found to be similar to those reported for phospholipid in sonicated vesicle preparations which are used as membrane models, but the lines are somewhat sharper suggesting the possibility of less anisotropic motion in the mixed micelles than in the vesicles.     

The implications of categorical and category-free mixed selectivity on representational geometries

The firing rates of individual neurons displaying mixed selectivity are modulated by multiple task variables. When mixed selectivity is nonlinear, it confers an advantage by generating a high-dimensional neural representation that can be flexibly decoded by linear classifiers. Although the advantages of this coding scheme are well accepted, the means of designing an experiment and analyzing the data to test for and characterize mixed selectivity remain unclear. With the growing number of large datasets collected during complex tasks, the mixed selectivity is increasingly observed and is challenging to interpret correctly. We review recent approaches for analyzing and interpreting neural datasets and clarify the theoretical implications of mixed selectivity in the variety of forms that have been reported in the literature. We also aim to provide a practical guide for determining whether a neural population has linear or nonlinear mixed selectivity and whether this mixing leads to a categorical or category-free representation.     

Constant Proportions of Mixed Singers in Tree Creeper Populations (Certhia familiaris)

Of 205 tree creeper males in 7 syntopic populations 69 (34%) were mixed singers. Of these, 17 sang complete short-toed tree creeper song, six sang incomplete and 46 sang only one element thereof. In three populations (Neuenburg, Wendhausen, Kenzingen) there was a dominance of mixed singers, in another population (Lorettowald) a large proportion was present. Only one mixed singer was found in each of the last three populations (Freiburg, Bodanrück, Seerücken). Three populations had high proportions of mixed singers between 1960 and 1970 and later in 1983 and/or 1984. Two other populations had only one mixed singer in both periods. A small isolated population of 4 to 5 tree creeper pairs (Lorettowald) with many mixed singers was surrounded by populations with low proportions of mixed singers (Bodanrück, Seerücken). The proportions of different forms of mixed songs in Neuenburg in 1983 and 1984 were almost identical to those in the 1960′s whereas highly significant changes occurred in Kenzingen. The pronounced differences in the songs of tree creepers and short-toed tree creepers probably do not result from contrast reinforcement. Mixed song is also probably not caused by character (vocal) convergence according to Cody (1969) and Dobkin (1979). Instead, it seems more probable that mixed song results from errors in copying, which are passed on to the next offspring by cultural transmission.     

Landscape-scale sexual segregation in the dry season distribution and resource utilization of elephants in Kruger National Park, South Africa

This study compared the dry season distribution of elephant bull groups and mixed herds and the resources driving these distributions within Kruger National Park, South Africa. It is important to understand what resources drive the distribution of elephants as this may be of relevance to understanding and managing their impact. It is also important to distinguish between resource use by bull groups and mixed herds because their impact on the habitat may differ. Our results indicated that sexual segregation, both in space and in resource selection, did occur in Kruger Park. Bulls roamed more widely in the park, and although their distribution and resource use overlapped with mixed herds, they also occurred in areas that mixed herds apparently did not, or could not, utilize in the dry season. This gave rise to areas used exclusively by bulls but no areas used exclusively by mixed herds. Lower collective feeding requirements as a result of smaller group size, wider habitat tolerance, and increased mobility as a result of bigger body size, as well as conflict avoidance with musth bulls in areas with mixed herds, might have been some of the reasons for bull groups roaming more widely and for the establishment of separate bull areas. Rivers were an important resource driving both the distribution of the mixed herds and bull groups, but with the mixed herds occurring closer to these resource hot spots than the bull groups. Tree cover proved important for mixed herds, probably because of the importance of shade and the higher nutritional requirements of the smaller-sized cows and calves. Artificial waterholes might have opened up previously unutilized areas for bulls in the dry season, especially on the grassy basaltic plains in the north of the park. However, the distribution of the mixed herds suggested that they did not occur in higher densities in areas surrounding waterholes.     

Evaluating mixed samples as a source of error in non-invasive genetic studies using microsatellites

The use of noninvasive genetic sampling (NGS) for surveying wild populations is increasing rapidly. Currently, only a limited number of studies have evaluated potential biases associated with NGS. This paper evaluates the potential errors associated with analysing mixed samples drawn from multiple animals. Most NGS studies assume that mixed samples will be identified and removed during the genotyping process. We evaluated this assumption by creating 128 mixed samples of extracted DNA from brown bear (Ursus arctos) hair samples. These mixed samples were genotyped and screened for errors at six microsatellite loci according to protocols consistent with those used in other NGS studies. Five mixed samples produced acceptable genotypes after the first screening. However, all mixed samples produced multiple alleles at one or more loci, amplified as only one of the source samples, or yielded inconsistent electropherograms by the final stage of the error-checking process. These processes could potentially reduce the number of individuals observed in NGS studies, but errors should be conservative within demographic estimates. Researchers should be aware of the potential for mixed samples and carefully design gel analysis criteria and error checking protocols to detect mixed samples.     

Linkage Analysis with an Alternative Formulation for the Mixed Model of Inheritance: The Finite Polygenic Mixed Model

This paper presents an extension of the finite polygenic mixed model of FERNANDO et al. (1994) to linkage analysis. The finite polygenic mixed model, extended for linkage analysis, leads to a likelihood that can be calculated using efficient algorithms developed for oligogenic models. For comparison, linkage analysis of 5 simulated 4021-member pedigrees was performed using the usual mixed model of inheritance, approximated by HASSTEDT (1982), and the finite polygenic mixed model extended for linkage analysis presented here. Maximum likelihood estimates of the finite polygenic mixed model could be inferred to be closer to the simulated values in these pedigrees.     

Primary and secondary immunocompetence in mixed allogeneic chimeras

Targeted disruption of T cell costimulatory pathways, particularly CD28 and CD40, has allowed for the development of minimally myeloablative strategies for the induction of mixed allogeneic chimerism and donor-specific tolerance across full MHC barriers. In this study we analyze in depth the ability of mixed allogeneic chimeras in two strain combinations to mount effective host-restricted and donor-restricted antiviral CD4 and CD8 responses, as well as the impact of development of mixed chimerism on the maintenance of pre-existing memory populations. While antiviral CD8 responses in mixed chimeras following acute viral infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus Armstrong or vaccinia virus are largely host-restricted, donor-restricted CD8 responses as well as host- and donor-restricted CD4 responses are also readily detected, and virus is promptly cleared. We further demonstrate that selection of donor-restricted T cells in mixed chimeras is principally mediated by bone marrow-derived cells in the thymus. Conversely, we find that mixed chimeras exhibit a deficit in their ability to deal with a chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus clone 13 infection. Encouragingly, pre-existing memory populations are largely unaffected by the development of high level mixed chimerism and maintain the ability to control viral rechallenge. Our results suggest that while pre-existing T cell memory and primary immunocompetence to acute infection are preserved in mixed allogeneic chimeras, MHC class I and/or class II tissue matching may be required to fully preserve immunocompetence in dealing with chronic viral infections.     

混合乳酸菌对小鼠 肠上皮细胞的粘附及抑菌机制

目的研究混合乳酸菌粘附及抑菌机制。方法测定混合菌株粘附相关能力及抑菌方式,初步研究菌株粘附相关的表面活性成分。结果混合菌株的表面疏水性、自聚合能力较高,对ICE-6细胞的粘附性亦较高。可抑制G+菌(金黄色葡萄球菌、枯草杆菌、艰难梭菌)和G-菌(大肠埃希菌、沙门菌、假单胞菌)粘附ICE-6细胞,抑制方式效果为排除竞争替代;热处理对菌株粘附性影响明显高于胃蛋白酶、胰蛋白酶、LiCl和NaIO_4等处理,表面蛋白(80～140kDa)可使LiCl处理菌株的粘附率提升45%。结论混合乳酸菌主要通过排除方式抑制外源菌的粘附,表面蛋白影响混合乳酸菌的粘附能力。     

Biodegradation of polyvinyl alcohol by a mixed microbial culture

A mixed culture capable of degrading 1 g l⁻¹ polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) completely was screened from sludge samples at Pacific Textile Factory, Wuxi, China. This mixed culture had stronger capability of degrading PVA with low polymerization and high saponification than degrading PVA with high polymerization and low saponification. Inorganic nitrogen source was more suitable for the mixed culture to grow and degrade PVA than organic nitrogen source. Microorganisms and relative abundance of this mixed culture were explored by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP). Small PVA molecules were detected in cell extracts of the mixed culture. This indicated that PVA degradation in the mixed culture was in fact a combined action of extracellular and intracellular enzymes. Two strains producing extracellular PVA-degrading enzyme were isolated from the mixed culture. They could individually degrade PVA1799 with polymerization of 1700 from initial average molecular weight 112,981 to 98,827 Da and 84,803 Da, respectively. However, only small amount of PVA124 in polymerization of 400 could be degraded by these two strains.