Significant Positive Links Research Articles

Links between DNA-repair gene polymorphisms and chromosomal aberrations in lung-cancer patients

This work presents the results of research into the links between DNA-repair gene polymorphisms and chromosomal aberrations in lung-cancer patients. Significant positive links have been found between lung cancer and the hOGG1 G/G and XPD G/G genotypes. A significant negative association has been found between the hOGG1 C/C genotypes and lung cancer. It has been shown that metaphases with chromosomal aberrations were significantly more frequent in lung-cancer patients than in the control group. Levels of chromosomal aberrations in the carriers of all APE1 and XPD genotypes, XRCC1 G/G genotype, ADPRT T/T genotype, and hOGG1 C/C genotypes reliably differed between the study and control groups. Statistically significant differences have been found between the lung-cancer patients carrying the XPD T/T genotype and those with G/G genotype of this gene.

Plant Invasions in China – Challenges and Chances

Invasive species cause serious environmental and economic harm and threaten global biodiversity. We set out to investigate how quickly invasive plant species are currently spreading in China and how their resulting distribution patterns are linked to socio-economic and environmental conditions. A comparison of the invasive plant species density (log species/log area) reported in 2008 with current data shows that invasive species were originally highly concentrated in the wealthy, southeastern coastal provinces of China, but they are currently rapidly spreading inland. Linear regression models based on the species density and turnover of invasive plants as dependent parameters and principal components representing key socio-economic and environmental parameters as predictors indicate strong positive links between invasive plant density and the overall phytodiversity and associated climatic parameters. Principal components representing socio-economic factors and endemic plant density also show significant positive links with invasive plant density. Urgent control and eradication measures are needed in China's coastal provinces to counteract the rapid inland spread of invasive plants. Strict controls of imports through seaports need to be accompanied by similarly strict controls of the developing horticultural trade and underpinned by awareness campaigns for China's increasingly affluent population to limit the arrival of new invaders. Furthermore, China needs to fully utilize its substantial native phytodiversity, rather than relying on exotics, in current large-scale afforestation projects and in the creation of urban green spaces.

Sanctification and spiritual disclosure in parent-child relationships: Implications for family relationship quality.

Social scientific research on family life, religion, and spirituality tends to focus on global religiousness and spirituality with few studies seeking to understand interpersonal religious and spiritual contributors, namely sanctification and spiritual disclosure, from multiple family members' perspectives. This study explored 91 mother-college student and 64 father-college student dyads who rated their use of spiritual disclosure and theistic and nontheistic sanctification of the parent-child dyad in relation to parent-child relationship quality (e.g., parent-child relationship satisfaction and open communication). Results indicate significant positive links between higher levels of spiritual disclosure and greater theistic and nontheistic sanctification, for mothers, fathers, and their children. However, only greater nontheistic sanctification and higher levels spiritual disclosure were significantly related to increased parent-child relationship quality. Through use of Actor-Partner Interdependence Models (APIMs) results indicated unique contributions of spiritual disclosure to parent-child relationship quality above nontheistic sanctification for open communication in the family. However, full models, which included nontheistic sanctification and spiritual disclosure, predict college students' relationship satisfaction with their mothers and fathers. Implications for interpersonal religiousness and spirituality as contributors to familial relationship quality in research and practice are discussed.

Cognitive and emotional covariates of violence exposure among former prisoners: links to antisocial behavior and emotional distress and implications for theory

In this study, formerly incarcerated men (N = 123) were assessed for their experiences with violence in the community as well as their current behavioral and mental health status (antisocial behavior and emotional distress). Participants also completed measures of two constructs theorized to moderate relations between exposure to violence and outcomes: cognitive beliefs supporting aggressive responding and negative emotional reactivity to witnessed violence. Data on key social-demographic background factors affecting outcomes were also collected. Analyses showed that, after controlling the effects of background factors, relationships between experiences with violence in the community and behavioral/mental health were moderated by cognitive beliefs and emotional reactivity. At high levels of support for aggressive responding, significant positive links were observed between exposure to violence and antisocial behavior as well as emotional distress. At high levels of negative reactivity to violence, a significant positive link was observed between exposure to violence and emotional distress (but not antisocial behavior). Findings are discussed with respect to research and theory on the effects of exposure to violence in high-risk adult populations.

Parents’ reading-related knowledge and children’s reading acquisition

Teacher reading-related knowledge (phonological awareness and phonics knowledge) predicts student reading, however little is known about the reading-related knowledge of parents. Participants comprised 70 dyads (children from kindergarten and grade 1 and their parents). Parents were administered a questionnaire tapping into reading-related knowledge, print exposure, storybook reading, and general cultural knowledge. Children were tested on measures of letter-word knowledge, sound awareness, receptive vocabulary, oral expression, and mathematical skill. Parent reading-related knowledge showed significant positive links with child letter-word knowledge and sound awareness, but showed no correlations with child measures of mathematical skill or vocabulary. Furthermore, parent reading-related knowledge was not associated with parents' own print exposure or cultural knowledge, indicating that knowledge about English word structure may be separate from other cognitive skills. Implications are discussed in terms of improving parent reading-related knowledge to promote child literacy.

Orientation motivationnelle et symptomatologie dépressive chez la personne âgée

This article is focused on motivation and depression in later life. For about 20 years, research on the motivation of elders has underlined the importance of the cognitive evaluation of life contexts, notably in terms of self-determination. This cognitive evaluation determines the motivational orientation for daily activities (notably the levels of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation). The purpose of this research was specifically to study the relationships between the existence of four types of motivation (intrinsic, self-determined extrinsic, nonself-determined extrinsic and amotivation) and the consequences for adaptation and well-being. The study, therefore, focused on the possible links between motivation and geriatric-depression level and explored the nature of this link. Forty persons aged 60 or over (31 women: 80.48+/-9.24; nine men: 80.56+/-9.48) who live in nursing homes (20 elderly) or in their own homes (20 elderly) were enrolled. Elderly persons were assessed with specific and standardized tools: the Elderly Motivation Scale (EMS, in the French version: EMPA) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). For the statistical analyses of the results, correlations and Mann-Whitney test were used. We found that in elderly people, the motivational styles (the four types of motivation) can be reliably measured and are related to geriatric depression. First, significant positive links were noticed between intrinsic motivation and depression scores and between self-determined extrinsic motivation and depression scores. Conversely, significant negative links were noticed between nonself-determined extrinsic motivation and depression scores and between amotivation and depression scores. The most self-determined elders presented low-depression levels, whereas the more nonself-determined elders showed high-depression levels. Moreover, motivational styles significantly differed in the two groups (depressive or not depressive). The most depressive elders showed significantly lower-intrinsic and self-determined motivation levels. Our results support the hypothesis that motivational styles are related to important aspects (adaptation, well-being and depression) of the life of elderly people. Self-determination theory appears of high interest in research on aging and especially on the determinants of well-being in the elders.

Correlations between peripheral differential leukocyte counts and carotid atherosclerosis in non-smokers

Substantial evidence clearly indicates the immuno-inflammatory nature of atherosclerosis and the important roles of monocytes and other leukocytes in atherogenesis. The relationship between atherosclerosis and the peripheral monocyte count, however, has been equivocal and uncertain so far. One possible reason may be an opposing effect of different major risk factors of atherosclerosis on the monocyte count, e.g. smoking increases the monocyte count while hypercholesterolemia is accompanied by a lower monocyte count. Since smoking is well shown to increase leukocyte counts prominently in weeks, our study included only non-smokers who participated in a health check program at our hospital from 1996 to 1998 and had received a carotid duplex study with extra payment. Our results revealed the followings: In male non-smokers ( n=571), the presence of carotid atherosclerosis was associated with significant increases in the counts of all leukocyte, neutrophil, and monocyte ( P<0.005, <0.001 and <0.05, respectively), and, after adjustments for age and body mass index, there were significant positive links between these three leukocyte counts and the severity of carotid atherosclerosis, judged by either the sum score of all carotid plaques or the score of the most severe carotid plaque. On the contrary, in female non-smokers ( n=614), there was no significant link between differential leukocyte counts and either the presence or severity of carotid atherosclerosis. These results are compatible with recently recognized sex differences in the mechanism and pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, and together with relevant results in the literature, suggest that monocytes and neutrophils are the main types of leukocytes involved in atherosclerosis.

Employee share‐ownership trusts and corporate governance

The March 2000 Budget in the UK introduced tax incentives to encourage employee shareholding. The theory is that if employees feel that they have a stake in the enterprise or organisation in which they work, they will be more motivated and committed, with positive outcomes in terms of productivity and organisational performance. This theory has received support from research currently being conducted within the School of Management and Organizational Psychology at Birkbeck, University of London, which has found significant positive links between “progressive” human resource practices that promote participation and involvement on the one hand, and corporate performance and organisational outcomes on the other. This is in line with other recent research in the UK and internationally. The question both for business and government is how to engender such participation and involvement and, specifically, whether this can be brought about through employee shareholding, when such individual shareholdings, taken separately, are insignificant in terms of the overall share capital of the corporation. By pooling the voting rights – although not necessarily the actual ownership – of their shares, an employee shareholder trust could represent a significant voice. However, some mechanism is needed to translate individual employee shareholding stakes into a collective voice that can deliver results, both in terms of representing the interests of employees and in convincing employees that their shareholding gives them a stake in the enterprise. Such a move could have important beneficial effects for corporate performance and hence economic growth. It could also have significant welfare effects in terms of enriching the experience of working life.

Serum Level of Soluble Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor II (sTNF-R75) Is Apparently an Index of Overall Monocyte-Related Infectious and Inflammatory Activity

ABSTRACT Background The serum level of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor II (sTNF-R75) has been recently found to correlate with the activity and/or severity of several different infectious and inflammatory diseases. These results have led us to presume that the serum sTNF-R75 level reflects the active immune activity of all causes and may correlate well with nonspecific infectious and inflammatory markers such as peripheral leukocyte counts and serum C-reactive protein level. Methods In total, 110 apparently healthy adults, 55 men and 55 women, were enrolled in the study. Serum levels of sTNF-R75, C-reactive protein, globulin, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatinine, urea nitrogen, and counts of neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils were checked. The relationships between the serum sTNF-R75 level and other parameters were analyzed using the SAS statistical program. Results By various statistical methods, the serum sTNF-R75 level showed consistently significant positive links with peripheral monocyte count, serum C-reactive protein level, and two parameters of renal clearance function (serum urea nitrogen and creatinine levels). Serum levels of alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase had significant positive links with the serum sTNF-R75 level by multivariate regression analysis. There was no significant link between the serum sTNF-R75 level and counts of neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils, or basophils. Conclusions Our results, together with those of recent reports showing positive correlations between the serum sTNF-R75 level and activities/severities of different infectious and inflammatory diseases, and also that TNF- α is principally produced by monocytes and macrophages, suggest that the serum sTNF-R75 level is very probably an index of overall monocyte-related infectious and inflammatory activities.