Non-verbal communication of the residents living in homes for the older people in Slovenia

Aging of the population is a growing problem in all developed societies. The older people need more health and social services, and their life quality in there is getting more and more important. The study aimed at determining the characteristics of non-verbal communication of the older people living in old people's homes (OPH). The sample consisted of 267 residents of the OPH, aged 65-96 years, and 267 caregivers from randomly selected twenty-seven OPH. Three types of non-verbal communication were observed and analysed using univariate and multivariate statistical methods. In face expressions and head movements about 75% older people looked at the eyes of their caregivers, and about 60% were looking around, while laughing or pressing the lips together was rarely noticed. The differences between genders were not statistically significant while statistically significant differences among different age groups was observed in dropping the eyes (p = 0.004) and smiling (0.008). In hand gestures and trunk movements, majority of older people most often moved forwards and clenched fingers, while most rarely they stroked and caressed their caregivers. The differences between genders were statistically significant in leaning on the table (p = 0.001), and changing the position on the chair (0.013). Statistically significant differences among age groups were registered in leaning forwards (p = 0.006) and pointing to the others (p = 0.036). In different modes of speaking and paralinguistic signs almost 75% older people spoke normally, about 70% kept silent, while they rarely quarrelled. The differences between genders were not statistically significant while statistically significant differences among age groups was observed in persuasive speaking (p = 0.007). The present study showed that older people in OPH in Slovenia communicated significantly less frequently with hand gestures and trunk movements than with face expressions and head movements or different modes of speaking and paralinguistic signs. The caregivers should be aware of this and pay a lot of attention to these two groups of non-verbal expressions. Their importance should be constantly emphasized during the educational process of all kinds of health-care professionals as well.     

Nonverbal transitive inference: Effects of task and awareness on human performance

We studied human nonverbal transitive inference in two paradigms: with choice stimuli orderable along a physical dimension and with non-orderable choice stimuli. We taught 96 participants to discriminate four overlapping pairs of choice stimuli: A+ B−, B+ C−, C+ D−, and D+ E−. Half of the participants were provided with post-choice visual feedback stimuli which were orderable by size; the other half were not provided with orderable feedback stimuli. In later testing, we presented novel choice pairs: BD, AC, AD, AE, BE, and CE. We found that transitive responding depended on task awareness for all participants. Additionally, participants given ordered feedback showed clearer task awareness and stronger transitive responding than did participants not given ordered feedback. Associative models ( [Wynne, 1995] and [Siemann and Delius, 1998]) failed to predict the increase in transitive responding with increasing awareness. These results suggest that ordered and non-ordered transitive inference tasks support different patterns of performance.     

Nucleoside diphosphate kinase B knock-out mice have impaired activation of the K+ channel KCa3.1, resulting in defective T cell activation

Nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDPKs) are encoded by the Nme (non-metastatic cell) gene family. Although they comprise a family of 10 genes, NDPK-A and -B are ubiquitously expressed and account for most of the NDPK activity. We previously showed that NDPK-B activates the K(+) channel KCa3.1 via histidine phosphorylation of the C terminus of KCa3.1, which is required for T cell receptor-stimulated Ca(2+) flux and proliferation of activated naive human CD4 T cells. We now report the phenotype of NDPK-B(-/-) mice. NDPK-B(-/-) mice are phenotypically normal at birth with a normal life span. Although T and B cell development is normal in NDPK-B(-/-) mice, KCa3.1 channel activity and cytokine production are markedly defective in T helper 1 (Th1) and Th2 cells, whereas Th17 function is normal. These findings phenocopy studies in the same cells isolated from KCa3.1(-/-) mice and thereby support genetically that NDPK-B functions upstream of KCa3.1. NDPK-A and -B have been linked to an astonishing array of disparate cellular and biochemical functions, few of which have been confirmed in vivo in physiological relevant systems. NDPK-B(-/-) mice will be an essential tool with which to definitively address the biological functions of NDPK-B. Our finding that NDPK-B is required for activation of Th1 and Th2 CD4 T cells, together with the normal overall phenotype of NDPK-B(-/-) mice, suggests that specific pharmacological inhibitors of NDPK-B may provide new opportunities to treat Th1- and Th2-mediated autoimmune diseases.     

A New Scaffold of an Old Protein Fold Ensures Binding to the Bisintercalator Thiocoraline

Thiocoraline is a thiodepsipeptide with potent antitumor activity. TioX, a protein with an unidentified function, is encoded by a gene of the thiocoraline biosynthetic gene cluster. The crystal structure of the full-length TioX protein at 2.15 Å resolution reveals that TioX protomer shares an ancient βαβββ fold motif with glyoxalase I and bleomycin resistance protein families, despite a very low sequence homology. Intriguingly, four TioX monomers form a unique 2-fold symmetric tetrameric assembly that is stabilized by four intermolecular disulfide bonds formed cyclically between Cys60 and Cys66 of adjacent monomers. The arrangement of two of the four monomers in the TioX tetramer is analogous to that in dimeric bleomycin resistance proteins. This analogy indicates that this novel higher-order structural scaffold of TioX may have evolved to bind thiocoraline. Our equilibrium titration studies demonstrate the binding of a thiocoraline chromophore analog, quinaldic acid, to TioX, thereby substantiating this model. Furthermore, a strain of Streptomyces albus containing an exogenous thiocoraline gene cluster devoid of functional tioX maintains thiocoraline production, albeit with a lower yield. Taken together, these observations rule out a direct enzymatic function of TioX and suggest that TioX is involved in thiocoraline resistance or secretion.     

Cutting edge: abortive proliferation of CD46-induced Tr1-like cells due to a defective Akt/Survivin signaling pathway

T regulatory cell 1 (Tr1) are low proliferating peripherally induced suppressive T cells. Engaging CD3 and CD46 on human CD4+ T cells induces a Tr1-like phenotype. In this study, we report that human Tr1-like cells do not sustain proliferation over time. The weak proliferation of these cells results first from their inability to sustain expression of various cell cycle-associated proteins, to efficiently degrade the inhibitor of cell cycle progression p27/Kip1 and, as a consequence, in their accumulation in the G0-G1 phase. Also, the reduced proliferation of Tr1-like cells results from their increased sensitivity to death as they divide, through a mechanism that is neither Fas-mediated nor Bcl2/Bcl-xL related. Both properties, impaired cell cycle and death sensitivity, are explained by a specific defective activation of Akt that impairs the expression of Survivin. Thus, our results show that CD3/CD46-induced Tr1-like cells die through a process of abortive proliferation.     

Proapoptotic effects of P. aeruginosa involve inhibition of surfactant phosphatidylcholine synthesis

Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes sepsis-induced acute lung injury, a disorder associated with deficiency of surfactant phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho). P. aeruginosa (PA103) utilizes a type III secretion system (TTSS) to induce programmed cell death. Herein, we observed that PA103 reduced alveolar PtdCho levels, resulting in impaired lung biophysical activity, an effect partly attributed to caspase-dependent cleavage of the key PtdCho biosynthetic enzyme, CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase-alpha (CCTalpha). Expression of recombinant CCTalpha variants harboring point mutations at putative caspase cleavage sites in murine lung epithelia resulted in partial proteolytic resistance of CCTalpha to PA103. Further, caspase-directed CCTalpha degradation, decreased PtdCho levels, and cell death in murine lung epithelia were lessened after exposure of cells to bacterial strains lacking the TTSS gene product, exotoxin U (ExoU), but not ExoT. These observations suggest that during the proapoptotic program driven by P. aeruginosa, deleterious effects on phospholipid metabolism are mediated by a TTSS in concert with caspase activation, resulting in proteolysis of a key surfactant biosynthetic enzyme.     

Oxygen enhances lethal effect of high-intensity, ultrashort electrical pulses

The study explored the effect of ambient oxygen on mammalian cell survival after exposure to 10 ns duration, high voltage electrical pulses (nsEP, 80-90 or 120-130 kV/cm; 200-400 pulses per exposure). Cell samples were equilibrated with pure nitrogen, atmospheric air, or pure oxygen prior to the nsEP treatment and were returned to the incubator (air + 5% CO2) shortly after the exposure. The experiments established that survival of hypoxic Jurkat and U937 cells exceeded that of air-equilibrated controls about twofold (P < .01). Conversely, saturation of the medium with oxygen prior to exposure decreased Jurkat cell survival about 1.5 times, P < .01. Attenuation of the cytotoxic effect under hypoxic conditions resembled a well-known effect of oxygen on cell killing by sparsely ionizing radiations and may be indicative of the similarity of underlying cell damage mechanisms.