Biological Propensity Research Articles

COVID Roundtable

COVID Roundtable

Opiates Possibly Boosted Human Civilization

: Testosterone is a fundamental biological drive for human survival. Evidence documents an association between the evolutionary suppression of testosterone and the civilization processes, especially their socialization and family colonization abilities, among early humans. Interestingly, opiates suppress testosterone as a side effect. However, in clinical practice, clients undergoing opioid substitution therapy have subnormal, normal, or even above-normal testosterone. This paper discusses a possibility indicating that opiates promoted civilization processes among early humans. We further suggest that modern humans might have inherited the positive impact of opiates on early humans as a biological propensity for using opioids. Some users may use opioids for self-medication to decrease their extraordinarily high testosterone levels.

Vulnerability assessment of nearshore clam habitat subject to storm waves and surge

Present work studied the lesion mechanism of coastal clam and its vulnerability assessment subject to the hydrodynamic disturbance of extreme storm events. A clam habitat at the northeast coast of China was chosen for the demonstration study. Relocation failure after passive transport due to excessive substrate erosion or suffocation in anoxic burial under overburdening sedimentation was identified the major cause of negative biomass responses during the storm. Based on the biological propensity and physiological sensitivity of the clam, a tunable loss probability function correlating the mortality with the shell length and the seabed change was proposed. A hydrodynamic model was then adopted to compute the sediment transport and net changes in the seafloor in response to the comprehensive process of storm waves and surge. The spatial distribution of the damage states was evaluated based on the numerical results incorporating the loss probability function. The estimated damage was mainly concentrated along the wave shoaling and breaking belts parallel to the shoreline. High surge levels pushed the “damage belt” shoreward, in which case large waves were able to propagate close to the shoreline before breaking. The scientific findings are helpful to better understand the vulnerability of the clam habitat to the storm disturbance. The study result as well provides a practical methodology of the storm risk assessment for benthic communities in broader ecological and geophysical scopes. The methodology are expected to be further validated and improved by more widespread sampling on coastal ecosystem or mariculture that will withstand future storms.

Isolation and Characterization of Human Foot Crack–Associated Bacterium, Pseudomonas Otitidis, and Its Biological Propensity

ABSTRACTHuman foot crack sample was collected and their associated bacteria were isolated. Among 10 isolates, I2 and I8 on tube assay and I1 from Congo red medium are biofilm producers. The functional groups responsible for the biofilm matrix were studied using Fourier transform infrared analysis. Overall, I2 showed potent antibacterial activity followed by I1, I5, and I10. The genomic DNA of strain I2 was amplified using 16S rDNA and identified as Pseudomonas otitidis and the phylogenetic tree was constructed. Antibacterial ability of I2 supernatant resulted in potent activity. Further studies are warranted to confirm the particular compound in I2 responsible for the potentiality.

Collective hormonal profiles predict group performance

Prior research has shown that an individual's hormonal profile can influence the individual's social standing within a group. We introduce a different construct-a collective hormonal profile-which describes a group's hormonal make-up. We test whether a group's collective hormonal profile is related to its performance. Analysis of 370 individuals randomly assigned to work in 74 groups of three to six individuals revealed that group-level concentrations of testosterone and cortisol interact to predict a group's standing across groups. Groups with a collective hormonal profile characterized by high testosterone and low cortisol exhibited the highest performance. These collective hormonal level results remained reliable when controlling for personality traits and group-level variability in hormones. These findings support the hypothesis that groups with a biological propensity toward status pursuit (high testosterone) coupled with reduced stress-axis activity (low cortisol) engage in profit-maximizing decision-making. The current work extends the dual-hormone hypothesis to the collective level and provides a neurobiological perspective on the factors that determine who rises to the top across, not just within, social hierarchies.

Higher levels of protective parenting are associated with better young adult health: exploration of mediation through epigenetic influences on pro-inflammatory processes

The current investigation was designed to examine the association of parenting during late childhood and early adolescence, a time of rapid physical development, with biological propensity for inflammation. Based on life course theory, it was hypothesized that parenting during this period of rapid growth and development would be associated with biological outcomes and self-reported health assessed in young adulthood. It was expected that association of parenting with health would be mediated either by effects on methylation of a key inflammatory factor, Tumor necrosis factor (TNF), or else by association with a pro-inflammatory shift in the distribution of mononuclear blood cells. Supporting expectations, in a sample of 398 African American youth residing in rural Georgia, followed from age 11 to age 19, parenting at ages 11–13 was associated with youth reports of better health at age 19. We found that parenting was associated with changes in TNF methylation as well as with changes in cell-type composition. However, whereas methylation of TNF was a significant mediator of the association of parenting with young adult health, variation in mononuclear white blood cell types was not a significant mediator of the association of parenting with young adult health. The current research suggests the potential value of examining the health-related effects of parenting in late childhood and early adolescence. Further examination of protection against pro-inflammatory tendencies conferred by parenting appears warranted.

Assessing the delayed sleep phase disorder by ambulatory circadian monitoring

The circadian system is responsible for the generation of biological rhythms synchronized to environmental 24 h cycle. The delayed sleep phase disorder (DSPD) refers to a delay between the sleep-wake rhythm and the desired bed and rise times and patients suffer chronic difficulty to fall asleep, rising and impaired performance during day. The aim of this work is to test an innovative ambulatory circadian monitoring (ACM) system based on wrist temperature (T), motor activity (A), body position (P), light exposure (L) and environmental temperature (ET) rhythms, to evaluate patients affected by this syndrome. Fourteen patients between 10 and 86 yr old from the Sleep Unit of the Virgen de las Nieves Hospital and the Estivill Sleep Clinic, and 14 healthy volunteers (from 10 to 80 yr old) were included in the study. Their T, A, P, L and ET rhythms were registered by the ACM device Kronowise® (Cronolab, University of Murcia, Spain) during a week. Sleep-wake states were infered using the integrated variable TAP using Circadianware® software (Chronolab, Univ. Murcia). Reliable circadian phase markers can be calculated from all variables, being the timing of five consecutive hours of maximum values for T and sleep (TM5) and of five consecutive hours of minimum values for A, P, TAP and L (TL5), the most accurate ones. Most DSPD subjects showed a similar phase-delay with respect control subjects in the TM5 or TL5 in all ACM variables (02:30–04:30 h for control subjects vs. 06:00 to 09:40 h for DSPD). However, a 21% of DSPD patients exhibited internal desynchronization between T and A, P or sleep phases. DSPD subjects showed higher fragmentation, lower regularity in all variables, together with lower light exposures than the standard scores specially during the morning. Our results showed that ACM provides objective markers to detect DSPD and chronodisruption. Besides differences in circadian phase, DSPS subjects showed more irregular, fragmented and less robust rhythms, worse sleep quality and less diurnal activation than controls, probably caused to the duty of sleep within a social schedule that differs from their endogenous biological propensity. Insufficient light exposure during early morning contribute to maintain their circadian phase delay. Study supported by RETICEF (RD12/0043/0011), MINECO (BFU2010–21945-C02–01), TIN2009–14372-C03–01 to MC and INNPACTO (IPT-2011–0833-900000) to JAM.

Surgical Management of Inferior Vena Cava Tumor Thrombus in Patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is associated with a biological propensity for vascular invasion with extension of the tumor to the renal vein or inferior vena cava and total resection of the renal tumor and IVC tumor thrombus is considered the optimal therapy when no distant metastases are present. The surgical approach to a specific patient with RCC and IVC tumor thrombus should be selected according to the level of the tumor thrombus and the characteristics of the primary renal tumor such as size, location, regional lymphadenopathy and aberrant vascular anatomy. The surgical management of RCC and IVC tumour thrombus requires the commitment of a multidisciplinary surgical team particularly for a higher (level III and IV) tumor thrombus. Preoperative imaging is very important for the surgical planning and management. An extended chevron incision with or without a sternotomy provides excellent surgical exposure. Level 0, level I and most level II tumors can be removed using straightforward occluding maneuvers, while maintaining control of the caval thrombus and the contralateral renal vein. Vascular bypass can frequently be required for the safe and complete resection of level III tumor thrombus. The resection of level IV tumors is generally performed with the use of cardiopulmonary bypass and circulatory arrest. In this review, these surgical aspects and treatment of IVC tumor extension in patients with RCC will be summarized, hoping to provide a clear and comprehensive guideline for both urology and cardiovascular specialists. (JAREM 2013; 3: 47-52)

2701 – Negative association between neurological soft signs and cannabis use in tunisian patients with first-episode psychosis

Neurological soft signs (NSS) are minor or subtle neurological signs indicating non-specific cerebral dysfunction. They have been conceptualized as neurodevelopmental markers that mediate the biological propensity for the development of psychosis. Their interaction with the environmental factors such as cannabis use remains little studied. To study the relationship between the NSS and the use of cannabis which is considered an environmental risk factor of psychotic disorder. Sixty one in-patients (fifty three men and eight women; mean age: 28.9 ± 9.4 years) with a first-episode non affective psychosis according with DSM-IV were recruited. Neurological evaluations were carried-out by using the NSS scale of Krebs et al. (2000). We ascertained the use of cannabis with the cannabis subsection, included within the section of substance use, in the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). The prevalence of cannabis use was 16.4%. The mean NSS total score was 15.3 ± 6.7. Significant lower NSS total score was found in cannabis users: 11.2 ± 5.6 versus 16.0 ± 6.7 (p=0.04). There was also an inverse but not significant relation between the use of cannabis and the motor coordination and the involuntary movements sub-scores. Similar results have been reported in patients with schizophrenia and first-episode psychosis suggesting the existence of fewer NSS in the cannabis user patients. The cannabis could enhance the effects of genetic risk factors for psychosis. More work in the area of genetic-environment interactions in predicting psychosis is necessary.

Reduced limbic metabolism and fronto-cortical volume in rats vulnerable to alcohol addiction

Alcohol abuse is associated with long-term reductions in fronto-cortical volume and limbic metabolism. However, an unanswered question in alcohol research is whether these alterations are the sole consequence of chronic alcohol use, or contain heritable contributions reflecting biological propensity toward ethanol addiction. Animal models of genetic predisposition to alcohol dependence can be used to investigate the role of inborn brain abnormalities in the aetiology of alcoholism. Here we used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the Marchigian-Sardinian (msP) alcohol-preferring rats to assess the presence of inherited structural or functional brain alterations. Alcohol-naïve msP (N=22) and control rats (N=26) were subjected to basal cerebral blood volume (bCBV) mapping followed by voxel-based morphometry (VBM) of grey matter and tract-based spatial statistics mapping of white matter fractional anisotropy. msP rats exhibited significantly reduced bCBV, an established marker of resting brain function, in focal cortico-limbic and thalamic areas, together with reduced grey matter volume in the thalamus, ventral tegmental area, insular and cingulate cortex. No statistically significant differences in fractional anisotropy were observed between groups. These findings highlight the presence of inborn grey matter and metabolic abnormalities in alcohol-naïve msP rats, the localization and sign of which are remarkably similar to those mapped in abstinent alcoholics and subjects at high risk for alcohol dependence. Collectively, these results point for a significant role of heritable neurofunctional brain alterations in biological propensity toward ethanol addiction, and support the translational use of advanced imaging methods to describe the circuital determinants of vulnerability to drug addiction.

A qualitative exploration of adolescent perceptions of healthy sleep in Tucson, Arizona, USA

Adolescents in the United States are known to be sleep deprived; early school start times, a biological propensity to stay up late, and a variety of wake-inducing activities lead to teens who often do not sleep enough. This chronic lack of sleep has measurable negative effects on health and well-being for adolescents. Though research has documented adolescent sleep behavior, few studies have addressed perceptions of sleep. The purpose of this study was to identify common sources of sleep information for a sample of Southwestern adolescents and examine general message content delivered to adolescents by each source. A convenience sample of 51 adolescents (mean age 14.5) completed a semi-structured, in-person interview between October 2006 and November 2007 in a Tucson, Arizona high school. Participant observation and a brief questionnaire regarding parent behavior were used to triangulate results. Parents, teachers, and in some cases the media stressed the importance of sleep for teens, while friends typically complained of tiredness. Individual experiences of sleep were reported to shape future sleep behavior. Rationales for adequate sleep included value placed on alertness, health, and achievement. Improving sleep in adolescents will not only require further education of the “sleep messengers” about the negative health consequences of inadequate sleep, but a larger cultural shift in how healthy sleep for teenagers is conceived and prioritized by schools, families and adolescents themselves.

Thalamic cooperation between the cerebellum and basal ganglia with a new tropism-based action-dependent heuristic dynamic programming method

In order to explore the possible cooperation mechanism between the cerebellum and basal ganglia in the central nervous system and to establish a more intelligent learning mechanism for robots, a new tropism-based ADHDP (action-dependent heuristic dynamic programming) learning mechanism involving the cortico-basal ganglia and cerebellar circuitry and the thalamic function is proposed. The cerebellum specializes in the actor part, while the basal ganglia are related to critic prediction. The thalamic function is considered as the tropism mechanism. Tropism value denoting the biological propensity is introduced to illustrate the degree of closing to the target. Although several motor control models have been proposed to explain the control and learning mechanism in the cerebellum and basal ganglia separately, it seems that the cooperation mechanism between them has not received much attention. In our proposed learning mechanism, the thalamic function and the cooperation between the cerebellum and basal ganglia are considered, and with a neurophysiological view, a striato-striatal lateral weight in the basal ganglia was added in the critic network. We present the detailed design architecture and explain how effective learning and optimization can be achieved with this novel tropism-based ADHDP architecture. Furthermore, we test its performance on the balance learning task of a two-wheeled self-balancing robot (TWSBR), which simulates the typical motor control and learning of the human body. In order to illustrate the effect of the thalamic function, some comparison researches about the balance learning problem have been done.

Operaciones de paz : el género como discusión pendiente

This article does not attempt to answer whether there is a greater biological propensity of men to violence or whether the differences between the sexes are a cultural and modifiable issue. Conceiving peace as a broader concept, which requires greater equality and tends to seek a solution to all possible conflicts, this article reviews the reality of conflicts and the way in which they affect men and women in different ways, as well as the different roles they play. This examination highlights the differences that occur in conflicts and the need to deal with them bearing in mind these realities, and ends up raising a possibility of moving forward while reaching the goal set by the United Nations, which is the perspective used for the review, and that it consists of incorporating the gender perspective in everything related to peace operations.

Sex and estrous cycle differences in cocaine‐induced approach‐avoidance conflict

Human and animal research indicates that females may have a higher biological propensity for cocaine abuse than do males. Furthermore, reproductive status modulates the subjective effects of cocaine in women and self-administration rates in rats. Despite the attention that has been given to the modulation of appetitive responses by reproductive status and the well-known mixed positive and negative subjective effects of cocaine, it is unknown if similar effects are observed on aversive responses to cocaine. The present study examines the impact of sex and estrous cycle on approach-avoidance behavior for cocaine as measured in the runway self-administration model. Male and freely cycling female Sprague Dawley rats were trained to traverse a straight alley for single daily injections of 1.0 mg/kg intravenous cocaine over 21 trials. Relative to males, females had significantly longer start latencies but significantly faster approach and shorter run times during the first week of training. Further, estrus females displayed significantly fewer approach-avoidance retreats across all sessions relative to non-estrus females. These results suggest that females initially exhibit greater motivation for cocaine (faster approach) than do males and that the drug's anxiogenic properties have a reduced impact on the motivation to seek cocaine (fewer retreats) in females during the estrus phase relative to other reproductive phases. These findings indicate that both sex and reproductive status contribute to the motivation for cocaine and that sex differences in addiction vulnerability may be attributable in part to differences in the motivational impact of both the appetitive and aversive properties of cocaine.

Eating Competence: Definition and Evidence for the Satter Eating Competence Model

The evidence- and practice-based Satter Eating Competence Model (ecSatter) outlines an inclusive definition of the interrelated spectrum of eating attitudes and behaviors. The model is predicated on the utility and effectiveness of biopsychosocial processes: hunger and the drive to survive, appetite and the need for subjective reward and the biological propensity to maintain preferred and stable body weight. According to ecSatter, competent eaters have 1) positive attitudes about eating and about food, 2) food acceptance skills that support eating an ever-increasing variety of the available food, 3) internal regulation skills that allow intuitively consuming enough food to give energy and stamina and to support stable body weight, and 4) skills and resources for managing the food context and orchestrating family meals. Identifying these four constructs allows nutrition professionals to target interventions as well as trust and support the individual’s own capabilities and tendency to learn and grow.

The Hemoglobin Glycation Index Is Not an Independent Predictor of the Risk of Microvascular Complications in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial

The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) demonstrated that intensive therapy aimed at improved glucose control markedly reduced the risk of diabetes complications compared with conventional therapy. The principal determinant of risk was the history of glycemia. Recently, McCarter et al. (Diabetes Care 27:1259-1264, 2004) have presented analyses of the publicly available DCCT data using their hemoglobin glycation index (HGI), which is computed as the difference between the observed HbA1c (A1C) and that predicted from the level of blood glucose. In their analyses, the HGI level was a significant predictor of progression of retinopathy and nephropathy in the DCCT, which the authors claimed to support the hypothesis that the biological propensity for glycation, so-called biological variation in glycation, is another mechanism that determines risk of complications. However, we have criticized these analyses and conclusions because, from statistical principles, the glycation index must be positively correlated with the A1C level and thus may simply be a surrogate for A1C. Herein, we present the statistical properties of the glycation index to document its high correlation with A1C. We then replicate the analyses of McCarter et al. using both the HGI and the A1C together. Analyses show conclusively that the glycation index is not an independent risk factor for microvascular complications and that the effect of the glycation index on risk is wholly explained by the associated level of A1C. The HGI should not be used to estimate risk of complications or to guide therapy.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children: Correlation of musculoskeletal manifestations and immunophenotypes

Studies on musculoskeletal manifestations (MSM) of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have yielded variable findings with regard to their clinical impact. We investigated the significance for differential diagnosis, treatment and outcome of musculoskeletal complaints as presenting symptoms of ALL, and their correlation with leukemia immunophenotypes, for which data is lacking. Data on 783 children in the national study for childhood ALL between 1984 and 2003 were reviewed retrospectively. Statistical analysis examined possible relationships between MSM at the time of diagnosis and demographic and clinical data, biological features of leukemia (peripheral blood counts, immunophenotype and main cytogenetic aberration), response to initial prednisone treatment, and outcome. Of 765 children with data on orthopaedic complaints, 240 presented with MSM (31.4%). Among these children, B cell precursor (BCP) was much more common (209/576, 36.3%) than T cell ALL (25/176, 14.2%). Patients with MSM had lower white blood cell counts (WBC) (median of 9 vs. 20 x 10(9)/L, P < 0.001) and percentage of blast cells in the peripheral blood at diagnosis compared to those without (median of 27 vs. 53%, P < 0.001). Hepatomegaly and splenomegaly were less common in MSM group (67 vs. 53% <3 cm, P < 0.001, and 63 vs. 50% <3 cm, P < 0.001, respectively). Poor response to initial treatment with prednisone was recorded in 7.1% of patients with MSM versus 11.5% of those without (P = 0.086). The analysis revealed no independent effect of MSM on event-free survival (EFS), after correcting for differences in EFS related to immunophenotype or initial WBC. MSM occur mostly in children with BCP ALL who present with less involvement of extramedullary organs, low peripheral blood blasts and white blood cells counts. These findings highlight the importance of including ALL in the differential diagnosis of MSM even in the presence of an apparently normal peripheral blood count. Our study also suggests that MSM are caused by leukemic cells with enhanced biological propensity to remain relatively confined within the intramedullary bone-marrow space.

Die Entwicklung psychischer Sicherheit in Bindungen - Ergebnisse und Folgerungen für die Therapie

Attachment is a biological propensity of primate infants to form close protective relationships with their mothers. In humans it is the special relationship in which the organization of emotions, empathy and knowledge about oneself and others is combined and represented in inner working models. For this, it is innate to human nature to form joint attention structures in which language develops for learning individual and particularly emotional and cultural meanings by narrative interpretations of various experiences. These processes are essential for the development of human beings. Joint attention is initially and primarily formed between infants and attachment persons. Fathers in particular can be additional supportive attachment persons, as well as teachers, grandmothers etc. Sensitivity to infants' attachment needs is the key to understanding the development of secure or insecure attachment strategies. These strategies highly influence the development of psychological security in mature and adaptive, or psychological insecurity in less mature and less flexibly adapted adolescents and adults.

Authentic Dialogue in Organizations a Dangerous Idea: Viewing the Art of Authentic Dialogue through the Science of Evolutionary Psychology

Whether verbal or displayed through body and facial expression, communication is the foundation ofwhat it means to be human. When an infant, driven by its biological propensity for language utters itsfirst words, it marks the start of a transformation toward human interaction. Embedded within thisinteraction are human emotions that elicit an array of behaviors, some more favorable than others. It isat this juncture the art of authentic dialogue, and its use in organizations, is examined.

Microsatellite Instability in Interval Colon Cancers

Colon cancers that develop after a complete colonoscopy may be the result of "failure of colonoscopy" or rapid tumor growth. Tumors that develop via the mismatch repair gene pathway demonstrate rapid tumor growth. The aim of this study was to determine if interval colon cancers were more likely than noninterval cancers to result from the loss of function of mismatch repair genes and hence demonstrate microsatellite instability (MSI). We searched our institution's cancer registry for interval cancers, defined as colon cancers that developed within 5 years of a complete colonoscopy. These were frequency matched in a 1:2 ratio by age and sex to patients with noninterval cancers (defined as colon cancers diagnosed on a patient's first recorded colonoscopy). Archived cancer specimens for all subjects were retrieved and tested for MSI. Of the 993 colon cancers diagnosed during the study period, 51 (5.1%) were identified as an interval cancer, and 112 subjects with noninterval cancer served as a comparison group. Study subjects were almost all men. MSI was found in 30.4% of interval cancers compared with 10.3% of noninterval cancers (P = .003). After adjusting for age, interval cancers were 3.7 times more likely to show MSI than noninterval cancers (95% confidence interval, 1.5-9.1). This association was strongest for tumors located in the distal colon (odds ratio, 17.5; P = .008). No difference in TNM stage at diagnosis, histologic type or grade, or 5-year survival was found between groups. Interval colon cancers were almost 4 times as likely as noninterval colon cancers to be associated with mismatch repair gene dysfunction.