Empathy Is Moderated by Genetic Background in Mice

Empathy, as originally defined, refers to an emotional experience that is shared among individuals. When discomfort or alarm is detected in another, a variety of behavioral responses can follow, including greater levels of nurturing, consolation or increased vigilance towards a threat. Moreover, changes in systemic physiology often accompany the recognition of distressed states in others. Employing a mouse model of cue-conditioned fear, we asked whether exposure to conspecific distress influences how a mouse subsequently responds to environmental cues that predict this distress. We found that mice are responsive to environmental cues that predict social distress, that their heart rate changes when distress vocalizations are emitted from conspecifics, and that genetic background substantially influences the magnitude of these responses. Specifically, during a series of pre-exposure sessions, repeated experiences of object mice that were exposed to a tone-shock (CS-UCS) contingency resulted in heart rate deceleration in subjects from the gregarious C57BL/6J (B6) strain, but not in subjects from the less social BALB/cJ (BALB) strain. Following the pre-exposure sessions, subjects were individually presented with the CS-only for 5 consecutive trials followed by 5 consecutive pairings of the CS with the UCS. Pre-exposure to object distress increased the freezing responses of B6 mice, but not BALB mice, on both the CS-only and the CS-UCS trials. These physiological and behavioral responses of B6 mice to social distress parallel features of human empathy. Our paradigm thus has construct and face validity with contemporary views of empathy, and provides unequivocal evidence for a genetic contribution to the expression of empathic behavior.     

The Relationship between Trait Emotional Intelligence and Interaction with Ostracized Others' Retaliation

Background

Regulation of emotions in others is distinct from other activities related to trait emotional intelligence in that only such behavior can directly change other people''s psychological states. Although emotional intelligence has generally been associated with prosociality, emotionally intelligent people may manipulate others'' behaviors to suit their own interests using high-level capabilities to read and manage the emotions of others. This study investigated how trait emotional intelligence was related to interacting with ostracized others who attempt retaliation.

Method

We experimentally manipulated whether two people were simultaneously ostracized or not by using an online ball-tossing game called Cyberball. Eighty university students participated in Cyberball for manipulating ostracism and a “recommendation game,” a variation of the ultimatum game for assessing how to interact with others who attempt retaliation, with four participants. After the recommendation game, participants rated their intention to retaliate during the game.

Results

People with higher interpersonal emotional intelligence were more likely to recommend that the ostracized other should inhibit retaliation and maximize additional rewards when they have a weaker intention to retaliate. However, they were more likely to recommend that the ostracized other should retaliate against the ostracizers when they have a stronger intention to retaliate.

Conclusion

This is the first laboratory study that empirically reveals that people with high interpersonal emotional intelligence influence others'' emotions based on their own goals contrary to the general view. Trait emotional intelligence itself is neither positive nor negative, but it can facilitate interpersonal behaviors for achieving goals. Our study offers valuable contributions for the refinement of the trait emotional intelligence concept in the respect of its social function.     

The Physical Relationship between Infectivity and Prion Protein Aggregates Is Strain-Dependent

Prions are unconventional infectious agents thought to be primarily composed of PrP^Sc, a multimeric misfolded conformer of the ubiquitously expressed host-encoded prion protein (PrP^C). They cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases in both animals and humans. The disease phenotype is not uniform within species, and stable, self-propagating variations in PrP^Sc conformation could encode this ‘strain’ diversity. However, much remains to be learned about the physical relationship between the infectious agent and PrP^Sc aggregation state, and how this varies according to the strain. We applied a sedimentation velocity technique to a panel of natural, biologically cloned strains obtained by propagation of classical and atypical sheep scrapie and BSE infectious sources in transgenic mice expressing ovine PrP. Detergent-solubilized, infected brain homogenates were used as starting material. Solubilization conditions were optimized to separate PrP^Sc aggregates from PrP^C. The distribution of PrP^Sc and infectivity in the gradient was determined by immunoblotting and mouse bioassay, respectively. As a general feature, a major proteinase K-resistant PrP^Sc peak was observed in the middle part of the gradient. This population approximately corresponds to multimers of 12–30 PrP molecules, if constituted of PrP only. For two strains, infectivity peaked in a markedly different region of the gradient. This most infectious component sedimented very slowly, suggesting small size oligomers and/or low density PrP^Sc aggregates. Extending this study to hamster prions passaged in hamster PrP transgenic mice revealed that the highly infectious, slowly sedimenting particles could be a feature of strains able to induce a rapidly lethal disease. Our findings suggest that prion infectious particles are subjected to marked strain-dependent variations, which in turn could influence the strain biological phenotype, in particular the replication dynamics.     

Understanding How Family Socioeconomic Status Mediates the Maternal Intelligence–Child Cognitive Outcomes Relationship: A Moderated Mediation Analysis

In a model of moderated mediation using matched data from the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, Children and Young Adults, I test (1) whether family socioeconomic status (SES) mediates the maternal intelligence-child cognitive outcomes relationship and (2) the extent to which this mediating impact is dependent on the level of maternal intelligence. Results reveal that the mediating impact of SES on the maternal intelligence–child cognitive outcomes relationship varies as a function of the level of maternal intelligence. The positive effect of higher SES on children's academic ability decreases as the cognitive ability of mothers increases, such that children in low IQ households benefit most from higher SES, while children in high IQ households benefit somewhat less.     

The Log-Linear Relationship between Sexual Isolation and Sequence Divergence in Bacillus Transformation Is Robust

The relationship between sexual isolation and sequence divergence in Bacillus transformation was previously shown to be log linear. In the present study, we have shown that this relationship is robust with respect to naturally occurring genetic variation among recipient strains of Bacillus subtilis and B. mojavensis. Naturally occurring restriction endonuclease activity was shown not to affect this relationship. Also, seven out of eight recombination mutants tested for their sensitivity to sequence divergence have shown the same relationship between sequence divergence and sexual isolation; a mutant for recH was more sensitive to sequence divergence, suggesting that the product of this gene may be involved in resolution of mismatches in heterogamic transformation. We have also shown that the relationship between sexual isolation and sequence divergence is robust with respect to variation in the conditions of transformation, including variation in the length of donor DNA, the concentration of donor DNA, and intracellular competition between donor-derived and recipient-derived DNA. The robustness of the relationship between sexual isolation and sequence divergence among naturally occurring strains and across transformation conditions allows us to predict the eventual outcome of sequence divergence among B. subtilis and its closest relatives.     

The Relationship between the Blood Pressure Responses to Exercise following Training and Detraining Periods

Background

Exercise training lowers blood pressure (BP), while BP increases and returns to pre-training values with detraining. Yet, there is considerable variability in these BP responses. We examined the relationship between the BP responses after 6 months of training followed by 2 weeks of detraining among the same people.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Subjects (n = 75) (X+SD, 50.2±10.6 yr) were sedentary, obese, and had prehypertension. They completed an aerobic (n = 34); resistance (n = 28); or aerobic + resistance or concurrent (n = 13) exercise training program. We calculated a metabolic syndrome z score (MetSz). Subjects were classified as BP responders (BP decreased) or non-responders (BP increased) to training and detraining. Linear and multivariable regression tested the BP response. Chi Square tested the frequency of responders and non-responders. The systolic BP (SBP, r = −0.474) and diastolic (DBP, r = −0.540) response to training negatively correlated with detraining (p<0.01), independent of modality (p>0.05). Exercise responders reduced SBP 11.5±7.8 (n = 29) and DBP 9.8±6.2 mmHg (n = 31); non-responders increased SBP 7.9.±10.9 (n = 46) and DBP 4.9±7.1 mmHg (n = 44) (p<0.001). We found 65.5% of SBP training responders were SBP detraining non-responders; while 60.9% of SBP training non-responders were SBP detraining responders (p = 0.034). Similarly, 80.6% of DBP training responders were DBP detraining non-responders; while 59.1% of DBP training non-responders were DBP detraining responders (p<0.001). The SBP detraining response (r = −0.521), resting SBP (r = −0.444), and MetSz (r = 0.288) explained 44.8% of the SBP training response (p<0.001). The DBP detraining response (r = −0.553), resting DBP (r = −0.450), and MetSz (r = 0.463) explained 60.1% of the DBP training response (p<0.001).

Conclusions/Significance

As expected most subjects that decreased BP after exercise training, increased BP after detraining. An unanticipated finding was most subjects that increased BP after exercise training, decreased BP after detraining. Reasons why the negative effects of exercise training on BP maybe reversed with detraining among some people should be explored further.

Trial Registration Information

ClinicalTrials.gov 1R01HL57354; 2003–2008; {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT00275145","term_id":"NCT00275145"}}NCT00275145     

医务人员工作倦怠与特质情绪智力相关关系的研究

目的 通过考察医务人员工作倦怠与特质情绪智力的相关关系,为探索改善医务人员工作倦怠状况的方法提供依据。方法 采用随机抽样的方式对552名医务人员进行工作倦怠和特质情绪智力问卷的调查。结果 (1)工作倦怠与特质情绪智力负性相关关系显著;(2)总体上,特质情绪智力对工作倦怠具有一定的负向预测作用。结论 可以通过对医务人员特质情绪智力的培养改善其工作倦怠感,培训方案的设计要注意整体性和全面性。

     

Fertilization Is Not a New Beginning: The Relationship between Sperm Longevity and Offspring Performance

Sperm are the most diverse cell type known: varying not only among- and within- species, but also among- and within-ejaculates of a single male. Recently, the causes and consequences of variability in sperm phenotypes have received much attention, but the importance of within-ejaculate variability remains largely unknown. Correlative evidence suggests that reduced within-ejaculate variation in sperm phenotype increases a male’s fertilization success in competitive conditions; but the transgenerational consequences of within-ejaculate variation in sperm phenotype remain relatively unexplored. Here we examine the relationship between sperm longevity and offspring performance in a marine invertebrate with external fertilization, Styela plicata. Offspring sired by longer-lived sperm had higher performance compared to offspring sired by freshly-extracted sperm of the same ejaculate, both in the laboratory and the field. This indicates that within-ejaculate differences in sperm longevity can influence offspring fitness – a source of variability in offspring phenotypes that has not previously been considered. Links between sperm phenotype and offspring performance may constrain responses to selection on either sperm or offspring traits, with broad ecological and evolutionary implications.     

Cardiac Fibrosis Alleviated by Exercise Training Is AMPK-Dependent

Regular exercise can protect the heart against external stimuli, but the mechanism is not well understood. We determined the role of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in regulating swimming exercise-mediated cardiac protection against β-adrenergic receptor overstimulation with isoproterenol (ISO) in mice. Ten-week-old AMPKα2^+/+ and AMPKα2-knockout (AMPKα2^-/-) littermates were subjected to 4 weeks of swimming training (50 min daily, 6 days a week) or housed under sedentary conditions. The mice received daily subcutaneous injection of ISO (5 mg/kg/d), a nonselective β-adrenergic receptor agonist, during the last 2 weeks of swimming training. Swimming training alleviated ISO-induced cardiac fibrosis in AMPKα2^+/+ mice but not AMPKα2^-/- mice. Swimming training activated cardiac AMPK in AMPKα2^+/+ mice. Furthermore, swimming training attenuated ISO-induced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and expression of NADPH oxidase and promoted the expression of antioxidant enzymes in AMPKα2^+/+ mice but not AMPKα2^-/- mice. In conclusion, swimming training attenuates ISO-induced cardiac fibrosis by inhibiting the NADPH oxidase–ROS pathway mediated by AMPK activation. Our findings provide a new mechanism for the cardioprotective effects of exercise.     

医务人员特质情绪智力与工作满意度相关关系的研究

目的 研究医务人员特质情绪智力与工作满意度的相关关系,以影响工作满意度的个人心理因素为出发点,探索提高医务人员工作满意度的新途径。方法 使用特质情绪智力问卷及工作满意度问卷对北京市536名医务人员实施测评,并进行相关分析。结果 医务人员特质情绪智力各剖面得分显著低于英国常模;特质情绪智力的各剖面与管理者、同事满意、工作本身、交际、工作满意度总分间存在不同程度的正相关。结论 有必要对医务人员进行有针对性的情绪智力培养,这将有利于提高工作满意度。

     

The Dynamic Relationship between Innate Immune Biomarkers and Interferon-Based Treatment Effects and Outcome in Hepatitis C Virus Infection Is Altered by Telaprevir

Soluble CD14 (sCD14) and IL-18 are markers and mediators of the innate immune response, and their plasma levels candidate biomarkers of HCV treatment effects and outcome. Here, we retrospectively studied sCD14 and IL-18 over the course of interferon-based treatment of HCV genotype 1 infection, with the aim to investigate the impact of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) on the dynamics and relationships between these biomarkers and treatment effects and outcome. Two cohorts were followed longitudinally; one treated with standard dual therapy of pegylated IFNα and ribavirin, and one cohort receiving triple therapy including Telaprevir. sCD14 and IL-18 were measured before and during treatment and analyzed in relation to treatment effects. The initial analysis confirmed two patterns previously observed in patients with HCV/HIV-1 co-infection: Baseline levels of sCD14 were significantly lower in patients that went on to clear HCV infection in response to IFNα and ribavirin, and sCD14 levels were strongly induced during the course of this treatment. Interestingly, baseline levels of sCD14 and IL-18 in combination predicted treatment outcome in dual therapy better than either marker alone. Notably, these associations were weaker with the addition of Telaprevir to the treatment regimen, suggesting that the relationships between innate immune activation and outcome were altered and diminished by inclusion of a DAA in the treatment. In triple therapy, the dynamic increase of sCD14 in response to treatment was higher in patients clearing the virus, suggesting that the innate response to interferon is still significantly associated with outcome in patients treated with DAA-containing regimens. These results support the notion that levels of innate immune activation before and during treatment are associated with interferon-based treatment outcome. Furthermore, the addition of Telaprevir significantly alters the dynamics and relationships between innate immune biomarkers and treatment effects and outcome.     

Association between Stock Market Gains and Losses and Google Searches

Experimental studies in the area of Psychology and Behavioral Economics have suggested that people change their search pattern in response to positive and negative events. Using Internet search data provided by Google, we investigated the relationship between stock-specific events and related Google searches. We studied daily data from 13 stocks from the Dow-Jones and NASDAQ100 indices, over a period of 4 trading years. Focusing on periods in which stocks were extensively searched (Intensive Search Periods), we found a correlation between the magnitude of stock returns at the beginning of the period and the volume, peak, and duration of search generated during the period. This relation between magnitudes of stock returns and subsequent searches was considerably magnified in periods following negative stock returns. Yet, we did not find that intensive search periods following losses were associated with more Google searches than periods following gains. Thus, rather than increasing search, losses improved the fit between people’s search behavior and the extent of real-world events triggering the search. The findings demonstrate the robustness of the attentional effect of losses.     

多聚蛋白聚糖酶与骨关节疾病

多聚蛋白聚糖酶是ADAMTS家族中的一员,受多种细胞因子的调节。它可以降解多聚蛋白聚糖核心蛋白上至少五种不同的位点,使多聚蛋白聚糖降解造成关节软骨变性坏死。关节组织中多聚蛋白聚糖酶及其抑制剂的数量保持着动态平衡,从而维持关节软骨的正常代谢,一旦失衡就会产生病理性损伤。该从多聚蛋白聚糖酶的结构、活化过程、调节因素以及与其他相关生物大分子的关系多个角度阐述了多聚蛋白聚糖酶研究的进展及其与骨关节疾病的关系。     

The Effectiveness of Percutaneous Vertebroplasty Is Determined by the Patient-Specific Bone Condition and the Treatment Strategy

PurposeVertebral fragility fractures are often treated by injecting bone cement into the collapsed vertebral bodies (vertebroplasty). The mechanisms by which vertebroplasty induces pain relief are not completely understood yet and recent debates cast doubt over the outcome of the procedure. The controversy is intensified by inconsistent results of randomized clinical trials and biomechanical studies that have investigated the effectiveness or the change in biomechanical response due to the reinforcement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of vertebroplasty, by varying the relevant treatment parameters and (a) computationally predicting the improvement of the fracture risk depending on the chosen treatment strategy, and (b) identifying the determinants of a successful treatment.MethodsA Finite Element model with a patient-specific failure criterion and direct simulation of PMMA infiltration in four lumbar vertebrae was used to assess the condition of the bone under compressive load before and after the virtual treatment, simulating in a total of 12000 virtual treatments.ResultsThe results showed that vertebroplasty is capable of reducing the fracture risk by magnitudes, but can also have a detrimental effect. Effectiveness was strongly influenced by interactions between local bone quality, cement volume and injection location. However, only a moderate number of the investigated treatment strategies were able to achieve the necessary improvement for preventing a fracture.ConclusionsWe conclude that the effectiveness of vertebroplasty is sensitive to the patient’s condition and the treatment strategy.     

Average Is Optimal: An Inverted-U Relationship between Trial-to-Trial Brain Activity and Behavioral Performance

It is well known that even under identical task conditions, there is a tremendous amount of trial-to-trial variability in both brain activity and behavioral output. Thus far the vast majority of event-related potential (ERP) studies investigating the relationship between trial-to-trial fluctuations in brain activity and behavioral performance have only tested a monotonic relationship between them. However, it was recently found that across-trial variability can correlate with behavioral performance independent of trial-averaged activity. This finding predicts a U- or inverted-U- shaped relationship between trial-to-trial brain activity and behavioral output, depending on whether larger brain variability is associated with better or worse behavior, respectively. Using a visual stimulus detection task, we provide evidence from human electrocorticography (ECoG) for an inverted-U brain-behavior relationship: When the raw fluctuation in broadband ECoG activity is closer to the across-trial mean, hit rate is higher and reaction times faster. Importantly, we show that this relationship is present not only in the post-stimulus task-evoked brain activity, but also in the pre-stimulus spontaneous brain activity, suggesting anticipatory brain dynamics. Our findings are consistent with the presence of stochastic noise in the brain. They further support attractor network theories, which postulate that the brain settles into a more confined state space under task performance, and proximity to the targeted trajectory is associated with better performance.     

NNMT蛋白酶与肿瘤的关系

尼克酰胺甲基转移酶(NNMT,E.C.2.1.1.1),一种参与物质代谢的酶蛋白,在肝脏的解毒和物质代谢过程中起重要作用。随着蛋白质组学的发展,人们运用2-DE,蛋白微阵列,基因芯片等技术发现NNMT在很多肿瘤中都是一个高表达蛋白质,它与肿瘤的关系也得到了研究者们进一步的证实,并提示NNMT与多种肿瘤的发生发展和转移相关,可作为一些肿瘤如肺小细胞肺癌、肾癌、口腔鳞状细胞癌和膀胱癌等的早期诊断和预后的标记物。本文就NNMT与肿瘤的关系及相关信号通路做一综述。     

动物与植物种子更新的关系Ⅱ．动物对种子的捕食、扩散、贮藏及与幼苗建成的关系

植物的繁殖体总是面临来自各类生物（如昆虫、脊椎动物、真菌）的捕食风险。因动物捕食引起的种子死亡率影响植物的适合度、种群动态、群落结构和物种多样性的保持。种子被捕食的时间和强度成为植物生活史中发芽速度、地下种子库等特征的主要选择压力,而种子大小、生境类型等因素也影响动物对植物种子的捕食。捕食者饱和现象被认为是植物和种子捕食者之间的高度协同进化作用的结果,是限制动物破坏种子、提高被扩散种子存活率的一种选择压力。大部分群落中的大多数植物种子被动物扩散。种子扩散影响种子密度、种子被捕食率、病原体攻击率、种子与母树的距离、种子到达的生境类型以及建成的植株将与何种植物竞争,从而影响种子和幼苗的存活,最终影响母树及后代植物的适合度。种子被动物扩散后的分布一般遵循负指数分布曲线,大多数种子并没有扩散到离母树很远的地方。捕食风险、生境类型、植被盖度均影响动物对种子的扩散。植物结实的季节和果实损耗的过程也体现了其对扩散机会的适应。许多动物有贮藏植物种子的行为。动物贮藏植物繁殖体的行为,一方面调节食物的时空分布,提高了贮食动物在食物缺乏期的生存概率;另一方面也为种子萌发提供了适宜条件,促进了植物的扩散。于是,植物与贮食动物形成了一种协同进化关系,这种关系可能是自然界互惠关系（mutualism)的一种。影响幼苗存活和建成的因子包括种子贮蒇点的微生境、湿度、坡向、坡度、林冠盖度等。许多果食性动物吃掉果肉后,再将完好的种子反刍或排泄出来。种子经动物消化道处理后,发芽率常有所提高。     

The Moderated Relationship of Appearance Valence on Appearance Self Consciousness: Development and Testing of New Measures of Appearance Schema Components

This paper describes the creation and psychometric properties of two independent measures of aspects of appearance schematicity – appearance salience and valence, assessed by the CARSAL and CARVAL, and their relation to appearance self-consciousness. Five hundred and ninety two participants provided data in a web based task. The results demonstrate the sound psychometric properties of both scales. This was demonstrated by good item total characteristics, good internal reliability of each scale, and the independence of the two scales shown through principal components analysis. Furthermore, the scales show independent and moderated relationships with valid measures of appearance related psychosocial distress. Negatively valenced appearance information was associated with increased appearance self-consciousness. More crucially, the impact of negative valence on appearance self-consciousness was exacerbated by the moderating effect increased salience of appearance.     

The Relationship between Transpiration and the Absorption of Inorganic Ions by Intact Plants

The relationship between the rate at which water and the rubidiumand phosphate ions are absorbed by intact plants, and transferredto their shoots has been investigated in water culture undervarying conditions of transpiration and nutrient supply. When the external concentration and the nutrient status of theplants are sufficient low, wide variations in the rate of transpirationhave little effect on the transfer of nutrients to shoots; whenlittle water is being lost by transpiration the concentrationin the transpiration stream may exceed that in the externalmedium by factors exceeding 100. In contrast when the externalconcenration and the nutrient status of the plants are highthe rate of transfer of ions to shoots may vary closely withthe rate of transpiration and the concentration in the transpirationstream may be similar to, or less then, that in the externalmedium. The occurrence of concentrations of ions in the roots is transpirationstream which greatly exceed those in the medium external tothe roots is regarded as evidence that ions not transferredpassively across the roots of intact plants to a significantextent.     

寒区集训新兵睡眠质量与心理健康状况的关系研究

目的:探讨寒区新兵睡眠质量与心理健康状况的关系.方法:以SCL-90、PSQI测评1000名新兵的心理健康状况及睡眠质量.分析睡眠质量与心理健康状况的关系.结果:①有效问卷892份,睡眠质量差者82人,占总调查人数的9%.②睡眠质量差者SCL-90总分及各因子分均显著高于睡眠质量可者.⑨回归分析与PSQI分值相关性最大的SCL-90因子分是抑郁、躯体化及偏执.结论:寒区新兵睡眠质量与心理健康状况关系密切.