Pet Loss and Representations of Death,Attachment, Depression,and Euthanasia

Studies that have examined pet loss hypothesize that attachment, representations of death, and the belief in an afterlife for animals may influence owners’ bereavement and depressive outcomes. The following instruments were administered to 159 Italian participants recruited through snowball sampling: the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (LAPS), the Pet Bereavement Questionnaire (PBQ), the Testoni Death Representation Scale (TDRS), and Beck’s Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). Questions concerning pet euthanasia-related issues and the relationship between owners and veterinarians were also submitted to the participants. A path model was conducted, showing that the representation of death and the attachment to a pet had a direct effect on pet grief, which in turn had a direct effect on depression. The results show a positive correlation between the LAPS and PBQ factors, particularly with the PBQ factor Grief. The LAPS factors positively correlated with the TDRS representation of Death as a Passage and negatively correlated with the TDRS representation of Death as Annihilation. The LAPS People Substituting factor positively correlated with the total score and the Cognitive-Affective factor of the BDI-II. The PBQ factors positively correlated with the BDI-II, whereas only the TDRS Death as Annihilation factor positively correlated with the BDI-II. Belief in a transcendent dimension was associated with higher scores on the PBQ Guilt factor and the TDRS factors of Death as a Passage and Death as Change, whereas these beliefs were associated with lower scores on the TDRS factor Death as Annihilation.

The results indicated that the sensitivity of the veterinarian and a veterinarian who helps owners make conscious and informed decisions for their pet and choose the right time to perform euthanasia are important variables in the management of pet loss. However, these factors are not sufficient and psychological support should be improved to help owners better cope with grief.     

Local adaptation to different phytogeographic regions: habitat‐related variations in seed germination in response to temperature and salinity for two medicinal Salvia species from Jordan

Salvia spinosa L. and Salvia syriaca L. are perennial medicinal herbs that occur in the Mediterranean, Irano‐Turanian and Saharo‐Arabian phytogeographic regions of Jordan. With respect to the seed germination requirements, prevailing environmental conditions in each phytogeographic region may promote local adaptation and consequently affect the distribution range of the species. Using seeds of both species collected from populations across the three regions, we tested responses to variations in temperature and salinity under laboratory conditions. Both species showed significant differences in cumulative germination percentages and germination rates (modified Timson Index) with temperature, while origin only significantly affected S. spinosa seeds. Both species germinated best under the highest temperature regime (32/20°C). The low temperature regime (8/4°C) completely inhibited germination in S. syriaca, wheras it led to 80% to 95% germination in S. spinosa, with significant variation being recorded between the phytogeographic regions. For both species, salt solutions of 0, 25 and 50 mM NaCl yielded the highest germination percentages and rates, which sharply and significantly declined at higher concentrations (100 and 200 mM NaCl). Our results provide evidence of local adaptation of the study species to salinity and temperature in the respective maternal environments, particularly in the Irano‐Turanian and Saharo‐Arabian regions. Such differentiation should be accounted for in future conservation planning.     

Negative emotional biases in late chronotypes

Increasing evidence suggests evening chronotypes are at increased risk for developing depression. Here, we examined if, similar to acutely depressed patients, evening chronotype individuals display biases in emotional face recognition. Two hundred and twenty-six individuals completed an online survey including measures of sleep quality, depression/anxiety and chronotype followed by a simple emotion recognition task presenting male and female faces morphed in 10 steps between 0 (neutral) and 100% sad or happy. Evening chronotype was associated with increased recognition of sad facial expressions independently of sleep quality, mood, age and gender. The current results extend previous work indicating that negative biases in emotional processing are present in evening chronotypes and may have important implications for the prevention and treatment of depression in these vulnerable individuals.     

持续高频刺激改变短刺激产生的神经网络效应

不同时长的电脉冲高频刺激(high frequency stimulation,HFS)对于脑神经系统具有不同的作用.其中,数秒时长的短促HFS可通过"点燃"效应制作动物癫痫模型,也可以产生长时间保持的突触可塑性变化,而数分钟以上的长时HFS却可以安全地用于临床的深部脑刺激,治疗多种脑疾病.因此推测,持续的HFS可以改变短促刺激产生的效应.为了验证此推测,在大鼠海马CA1区的输入轴突纤维Schaffer侧支上,分别施加5 s和2 min两种时长的100 Hz HFS,并监测刺激结束后下游神经元群体对于单脉冲测试的响应电位,即群峰电位(population spike,PS).结果显示,5 s短HFS结束时会紧跟后放电痫样活动,并且,从测试脉冲诱发的PS幅值和潜伏期可见,短HFS诱导的兴奋性增强可以维持数十分钟.反之,2 min的长HFS结束时紧随之后的是数十秒无发放活动的静息期,而且,PS在数分钟内即恢复到HFS前的基线水平.这些结果表明,长时HFS的后期刺激可以改变前期短促刺激对于下游神经网络的作用,即消除短刺激可能产生的长时程兴奋效应.此发现对于深入了解高频刺激的作用机制、促进深部脑刺激的临床应用具有重要意义.     

Inbreeding depression maintained by recessive lethal mutations interacting with stabilizing selection on quantitative characters in a partially self‐fertilizing population

The bimodal distribution of fitness effects of new mutations and standing genetic variation, due to early‐acting strongly deleterious recessive mutations and late‐acting mildly deleterious mutations, is analyzed using the Kondrashov model for lethals (K), with either the infinitesimal model for selfing (IMS) or the Gaussian allele model (GAM) for quantitative genetic variance under stabilizing selection. In the combined models (KIMS and KGAM) high genomic mutation rates to lethals and weak stabilizing selection on many characters create strong interactions between early and late inbreeding depression, by changing the distribution of lineages selfed consecutively for different numbers of generations. Alternative stable equilibria can exist at intermediate selfing rates for a given set of parameters. Evolution of quantitative genetic variance under multivariate stabilizing selection can strongly influence the purging of nearly recessive lethals, and sometimes vice versa. If the selfing rate at the purging threshold for quantitative genetic variance in IMS or GAM alone exceeds that for nearly recessive lethals in K alone, then in KIMS and KGAM stabilizing selection causes selective interference with purging of lethals, increasing the mean number of lethals compared to K; otherwise, stabilizing selection causes selective facilitation in purging of lethals, decreasing the mean number of lethals.     

Fisetin provides antidepressant effects by activating the tropomyosin receptor kinase B signal pathway in mice

Depression has been associated with a low‐grade chronic inflammatory state, suggesting a potential therapeutic role for anti‐inflammatory agents. Fisetin is a naturally occurring flavonoid in strawberries that has anti‐inflammatory activities, but whether fisetin has antidepressant effects is unknown. In this study, we exposed mice to spatial restraint for 2 weeks with or without treatment with fisetin. Immobility time in the forced swimming and tail suspension test after this restraint increased in the untreated group, but this increase did not occur in the fisetin group. We administered fisetin to Abelson helper integration site‐1 (Ahi1) knockout mice, which have depressive phenotypes. We found that fisetin attenuated the depressive phenotype of these Ahi1 knockout mice. We further investigated the potential mechanism of fisetin's antidepressant effects. Because TrkB is a critical signaling pathway in the mechanisms of depression, we examined whether phosphorylated TrkB was involved in the antidepressant effects of fisetin. We found that fisetin increased phosphorylated TrkB level without altering total TrkB; this increase was attenuated by K252a, a specific TrkB inhibitor. Taken together, our results demonstrated that fisetin may have therapeutic potential for treating depression and that this antidepressant effect may be mediated by the activation of the TrkB signaling pathway.

     

高通量测序技术在遗传性耳聋研究中的应用及研究进展

耳聋是一种常见的严重出生缺陷,阐明遗传性耳聋的致病机理不仅能够在临床上辅助诊断,为遗传咨询及耳聋预防提供依据,而且能促进人们更深入地了解耳聋的致病机制,开发新的治疗方法。随着基因组研究技术不断创新,以全基因组测序、全外显子组测序、目标区域测序为代表的高通量测序技术在遗传性耳聋研究中已得到广泛应用。本文总结了近5年全外显子组测序和目标区域测序在遗传性耳聋致病基因研究及临床分子诊断中应用及研究进展,希望能够有助于我国临床耳聋基因诊断技术的发展及诊断水平的提升。     

孕产妇情绪评估及个性化干预对降低产后抑郁症的作用研究

目的:研究孕产妇情绪评估及个性化干预对降低产后抑郁症的作用。方法:选取我院收诊的孕期检查产妇,经抑郁自评量表(SDS)筛查,选取其中SDS评分在42-52分的产妇186例作为研究对象,采取数字随机法分为观察组和对照组,对照组采取常规护理,观察组在此基础上,采取个性化干预,比较两组对产后抑郁症的降低情况。结果:观察组患者产后1个月的SDS评分低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。观察组患者产前7天、产后1个月的SDS评分均低于入院时,差异均有统计学意义(P0.05)。观察组患者产后1、3、12个月的产后抑郁症发生率均低于对照组,差异均有统计学意义(P0.05)。两组患者产后3、12个月的产后抑郁症发生率均低于产后1个月,差异均有统计学意义(P0.05)。两组患者产后12个月的产后抑郁症发生率均低于产后3个月,差异均有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:孕产妇产前、产后普遍存在抑郁情绪,个性化干预对降低产后抑郁症的作用明显,是一种优秀的护理方法。     

Excess mortality in persons with severe mental disorders: a multilevel intervention framework and priorities for clinical practice,policy and research agendas

Excess mortality in persons with severe mental disorders (SMD) is a major public health challenge that warrants action. The number and scope of truly tested interventions in this area remain limited, and strategies for implementation and scaling up of programmes with a strong evidence base are scarce. Furthermore, the majority of available interventions focus on a single or an otherwise limited number of risk factors. Here we present a multilevel model highlighting risk factors for excess mortality in persons with SMD at the individual, health system and socio‐environmental levels. Informed by that model, we describe a comprehensive framework that may be useful for designing, implementing and evaluating interventions and programmes to reduce excess mortality in persons with SMD. This framework includes individual‐focused, health system‐focused, and community level and policy‐focused interventions. Incorporating lessons learned from the multilevel model of risk and the comprehensive intervention framework, we identify priorities for clinical practice, policy and research agendas.     

Reduced levels of Cacna1c attenuate mesolimbic dopamine system function

Genetic variation in CACNA1C, which codes for the L‐type calcium channel (LTCC) Ca_v1.2, is associated with clinical diagnoses of bipolar disorder, depression and schizophrenia. Dysregulation of the mesolimbic‐dopamine (ML‐DA) system is linked to these syndromes and LTCCs are required for normal DAergic neurotransmission between the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc). It is unclear, however, how variations in CACNA1C genotype, and potential subsequent changes in expression levels in these regions, modify risk. Using constitutive and conditional knockout mice, and treatment with the LTCC antagonist nimodipine, we examined the role of Cacna1c in DA‐mediated behaviors elicited by psychomotor stimulants. Using fast‐scan cyclic voltammetry, DA release and reuptake in the NAc were measured. We find that subsecond DA release in Cacna1c haploinsufficient mice lacks normal sensitivity to inhibition of the DA transporter (DAT). Constitutive haploinsufficiency of Cacna1c led to attenuation of hyperlocomotion following acute administration of stimulants specific to DAT, and locomotor sensitization of these mice to the DAT antagonist GBR12909 did not reach the same level as wild‐type mice. The maintenance of sensitization to GBR12909 was attenuated by administration of nimodipine. Sensitization to GBR12909 was attenuated in mice with reduced Cacna1c selectively in the VTA but not in the NAc. Our findings show that Cacna1c is crucial for normal behavioral responses to DA stimulants and that its activity in the VTA is required for behavioral sensitization. Cacna1c likely exerts these effects through modifications to presynaptic ML‐DA system function.