Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Exciting News...Compound that Prevents Nerve Damage Found!

Great news on the science front! Imagine if this could lead to a cure for Huntington's, Alzheimers or Parkinson's Disease!
Read the article below to see what is new in this field. For students online, this is an example of animal research. For on campus students, recall our in class debate on using animals. Would an experiment like this be more acceptable to you than the fetal tissue example from class?

Sheila



Compounds That Prevent Nerve Damage Discovered
ScienceDaily (Sep. 24, 2008) — Duke University Medical Center scientists have made a significant finding that could lead to better drugs for several degenerative diseases including Huntington's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

"We were able to prevent Huntington's disease-like illness in mutant fruit flies by giving them orally active transglutaminase inhibitors," said Charles S. Greenberg, M.D., a Professor of Medicine and Pathology at Duke University Medical Center and senior author of the paper. The drug blocks the action of an enzyme called tissue transglutaminase (TGM2). TGM2 may damage cells by forming strong bonds between proteins. Such bonding is beneficial for blood clotting which happens outside of cells, but if this type of bonding occurs inside cells, it can be harmful, Greenberg said.

The study appears in the current issue of Chemistry and Biology.

Huntington's disease causes uncontrolled movement and mental deterioration that develops later in life, and though there is no cure, people can get tested to learn whether they have the gene that causes the devastating illness, Greenberg said.

Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and polyglutamine diseases including Huntington's disease may possibly be improved with the same compounds, said Thung S. Lai, Ph.D., lead author and a Duke Associate Professor of Medicine. "Our findings may also help to develop drugs that block the pathology related to transglutaminase's action. That action has been linked to the development of tissue fibrosis, organ failure and aging."

While these compounds were promising in the animal system, they are several years away from entering any human trials, Greenberg said. "We will be studying these compounds in diseases in which TGM2 produces tissue injury."

For the study, Lai painstakingly screened 2,000 compounds. Only two groups of drugs were found to be effective TGM2 inhibitors. Some of the most potent TGM2 inhibitors were given to the fruit flies along with their food.

The most effective compound was a kinase inhibitor, a drug that had been developed several years ago for another purpose. The other beneficial compounds fell into a category of drugs that attack a sulfhydryl group in a protein.

The next step is to use the effective compounds as the backbone for developing even more effective drugs, Lai said. The scientists plan to test whether the TGM2 inhibitors they identified would prevent the fibrous tissue process that causes chronic renal, vascular and lung disease.

The work was funded in part by National Institutes of Health grants. This study required extensive teamwork between several departments at Duke and a long-time collaborator at Wake Forest University.

Other authors on the paper include Yusha Liu, Tim Tucker, James R. Burke and Warren J. Strittmatter of the Duke Department of Medicine; Kurt R. Daniel and David C. Sane of the Department of Internal Medicine-Cardiology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C.; and Eric Toone of the Duke Department of Chemistry.


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Adapted from materials provided by Duke University Medical Center.

Evolutionary Psychology: Psychology in the News

Human Or Animal Faces Associated With At Least 90 Percent Of Cars By One-third Of Population

Science Daily (Sep. 24, 2008) — Do people attribute certain personality traits or emotions to car fronts? If so, could this have implications for driving and pedestrian behavior? Truls Thorstensen (EFS Consulting Vienna), Karl Grammer (Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Urban Ethology) and other researchers at the University of Vienna joined economic interest with evolutionary psychology to answer these questions.



Science & Society
Energy Issues
"The research project investigates our perception of automotive designs, and whether and how these findings correspond to the perception of human faces.

Throughout evolution, humans have developed an ability to collect information on people's sex, age, emotions, and intentions by looking at their faces. The authors suggest that this ability is probably widely used on other living beings and maybe even on inanimate objects, such as cars. Although this theory has been proposed by other authors, it has not yet been investigated systematically. The researchers therefore asked people to report the characteristics, emotions, personality traits, and attitudes that they ascribed to car fronts and then used geometric morphometrics to calculate the corresponding shape information.

One-third of the subjects associated a human or animal face with at least 90 percent of the cars. All subjects marked eyes (headlights), a mouth (air intake/grille), and a nose in more than 50 percent of the cars. Overall, people agreed which type of car possesses certain traits. The authors found that people liked cars most which had a wide stance, a narrow windshield, and/or widely spaced, narrow headlights. The better the subjects liked a car, the more it bore shape characteristics corresponding to high values of what the authors termed "power", indicating that both men and women like mature, dominant, masculine, arrogant, angry-looking cars.

If these are the traits that people like, does that necessarily mean that this is the type of car they would buy? The authors surmise that this might not always be the case. Do we judge a car by our (perhaps stereotyped) impression of its owner, or do we choose a car based on its communication of desired characteristics? Do we feel that driving a car that looks arrogant and dominant might be of benefit in the daily "battles" on the road? These are interesting questions for car manufacturers and researchers alike, and will be pursued further in the collaboration between EFS Consulting and Karl Grammer's group.

The collaborators conclude, "we show that distinct features in the car fronts correspond to different trait attributions. Thus, humans possibly interpret even inanimate structures in biological terms, which could have implications for driving and pedestrian behavior. With respect to practical applications, a tool for automobile designers to style cars according to a desired image could be derived.""


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Journal reference:

Windhager S, Slice DE, Schaefer K, Oberzaucher E, Thorstensen T, Grammer K. Face to face: The Perception of Automotive Designs. Human Nature, (in press) DOI: 10.1007/s12110-008-9047-z
Adapted from materials provided by Springer

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Goal-driven achievers less prone to Alzheimer's


Are you an achiever? Are you goal driven? Then you might just have a lower risk for developing Alzheimers Disease. A recent study (correlational!!!) found that elderly who see themselves as "self-disciplined, organized achievers have a lower risk for developing Alzheimer's disease than people who are less conscientious."!

To read more about it: http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/10/01/personality.alzheimers.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch

or go to the Archives of General Psychiatry to get a general synopsis:
http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/64/10/1163

Panic Attacks Linked to Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke in Women


A study published Monday in the Archives of General Psychiatry that shows a link between panic attacks and risk of heart attacks and stroke in post menopausal women! While a panic attack might feel like a heart attack to many, it is not, but new research shows that it might also "suggest heart trouble down the road."

"Women who reported at least one full-blown panic attack during a six-month period were three times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke over the next five years than women who didn't report a panic attack.

The researchers took into account other risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, inactivity and depression and still found that panic attacks raised risk." (cnn.com)

To read more, go to: http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/10/01/panic.attacks.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch

Do you know what type of study this is? Hint: it shows the relationship between variables!

Do you know the symptoms of panic disorder? According to the DSM-IV (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition) the symptoms are:

A discrete period of intense fear or discomfort, in which four (or more) of the following symptoms developed abruptly and reached a peak within 10 minutes:

1) palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate

2) sweating

3) trembling or shaking

4) sensations of shortness of breath or smothering

5) feeling of choking

6) chest pain or discomfort

7) nausea or abdominal distress

8) feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint

9) derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself)

10) fear of losing control or going crazy

11) fear of dying

12) paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations)

13) chills or hot flushes





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DSM IV Criteria for Panic Disorder

A) Both (1) and (2)

(1) recurrent unexpected Panic Attacks

(2) at least one of the attacks has been followed by 1 month (or more) of one (or more) of the following:

(a) persistent concern about having additional attacks

(b) worry about the implications of the attack or its consequences (e.g., losing control, having a heart attack, "going crazy")

(c) a significant change in behavior related to the attacks

B) The Panic Attacks are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., hyperthyroidism).

C) The Panic Attacks are not better accounted for by another mental disorder, such as Social Phobia (e.g., occurring on exposure to feared social situations), Specific Phobia (e.g., on exposure to a specific phobic situation), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (e.g., on exposure to dirt in someone with an obsession about contamination), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (e.g., in response to stimuli associated with a severe stressor), or Separation Anxiety Disorder (e.g., in response to being away from home or close relatives).



Panic Disorder is divided into with or without agoraphobia

DSM IV Criteria for Agoraphobia

A) anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult (or embarrassing) or in which help may not be available in the event of having an unexpected or situationally predisposed Panic Attack or panic-like symptoms. Agoraphobic fears typically involve characteristic clusters of situations that include being outside the home alone; being in a crowd, or standing in a line; being on a bridge; and traveling in a bus, train, or automobile.

B) The situations are avoided (e.g., travel is restricted) or else are endured with marked distress or with anxiety about having a Panic Attack or panic-like symptoms, or require the presence of a companion.

C) The anxiety or phobic avoidance is not better accounted for by another mental disorder, such as Social Phobia (e.g., avoidance limited to social situations because of fear of embarrassment), Specific Phobia (e.g., avoidance limited to a single situation like elevators), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (e.g., avoidance of dirt in someone with an obsession about contamination), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (e.g., avoidance of stimuli associated with a severe stressor), or Separation Anxiety Disorder (e.g., avoidance of leaving home or relatives).

To learn more about panic, see a video diary on youtube at

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2243621262462911792&q=panic+disorder&total=464&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

Friday, February 02, 2007

Eating Disorders...should we blame the parents.

Recently, Supermodel Gisele Bundchen claimed that eating disorders are caused by "bad" families. She claimed that her family has always been supportive to her, and therefore she never developed an eating disorder! Does she really think that all women (and men!) with ED had unsupportive families?! Does she really think the only factor in developing an eating disorder is support? She lashed out against the media and recent claims that the modeling industry itself promotes eating disorders. This sociocultural perspective claims that young women see the bodies the fashion industry touts as beautiful and leads to them trying to reach that impossible ideal.
There is a wonderful article that I have posted below to show Gisele's claims have no scientific support. There is, however, interesting support that shows a genetic link in EDs.

Alert: NYC fashion shows are thinking of banning underweight models? Do you think it is a good idea or not? Spain has recently banned underweight models from runway shows...should the US follow suit? Anyone with a BMI (Body Mass Index) under 18.5 would not be allowed to work the runway!


Problems creating a link...copy and paste this:
http://www.usmagazine.com/gisele_bundchen_0

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

The Brain of a Genius

Ever wonder what the brain of a genius is like? Check out this article (with a link to a short video) to see!

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/09/11/gupta.genius/index.html

Mental Illness on the rise among Hurricane Katrina Survivors

A new study shows that mental illness is rising among survivors of Hurricane Katrina. A study conducted by Harvard University shows high rates of mental illness and suicide among the survivors, especially those who lived in New Orleans.

For the full article: follow this link
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/08/28/katrina.mental.health.reut/index.html

Friday, June 23, 2006

Bulimia Strikes Again

McPhee one of millions with bulimia
Disease 'goes through society'


Thursday, June 22, 2006; (CNN) -- Katharine McPhee's revelation that she has battled bulimia puts the American Idol runner-up in the company of millions of Americans.
The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that between 1.1 percent and 4.2 percent of females in the U.S. -- or 1.5 million to 6 million -- suffer from bulimia nervosa in their lifetime. The disorder is increasingly being identified in males as well.
Christopher Athas, a vice president of the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, says one of the many myths about bulimia is that it's a disease primarily of affluent young white women. "That's simply not true," he says. "It's an illness that goes through society."

People with eating disorders often have both anorexia nervosa, marked by starving oneself, and bulimia, known as the binge-and-purge disease.
Bulimics eat excessive amounts of food, often feeling out of control, then, out of disgust and a fear of gaining weight, resort to vomiting or laxatives or other extremes. The behavior typically occurs a couple of times a week, experts say. The 22-year-old McPhee told People that for five years, she threw up as often as seven times a day.
Even though bulimics may maintain a normal weight, the disease is often driven by low-self esteem, excessive perfectionism and negative body image. The individual comforts herself, or himself, with food; the late Princess Diana, who also suffered from bulimia, once likened the feeling of post-binge fullness to a hug.
Then the need to purge comes, bringing temporary feelings of relief. But usually, the cycle starts again.
In addition to being potentially deadly (chemical imbalances can cause cardiac arrhythmia and other organ damage) the long-term effects of bulimia aren't pretty. The acid in vomit can erode teeth and the esophagus and inflame glands near the cheeks, so the face can appear swollen.
McPhee says her illness began during her high school years in Los Angeles, where she was always concerned about her appearance. She recalls starving herself and exercising to an extreme. The pattern continued. "I was bingeing my whole life away for days at a time," she told People. She says the bottom came about the time she auditioned for "American Idol."
Concerned that her vomiting was damaging her vocal cords, McPhee decided to get help.
"I entered the program because I wanted to give myself the best shot I possibly could on the show. And, when I did, it was like God put hands on me and said, `I want you to be healed,' " she told People.
McPhee attended group and individual therapy six days a week for three months at the Eating Disorder Center of California in Los Angeles.
Many others who suffer with bulimia don't realize they have an eating disorder and don't seek help. Or, they feel too ashamed to tell anyone. Bulimia is a disease marked by secrecy.
But recovery is possible, says Athas of the anorexia association. "You can get totally well."
It takes recognition of the illness, a genuine desire to get healthy, and usually, he says, therapy, whether individual or group, inpatient or outpatient. Medication can also help control the compulsions.



DO YOU THINK IT WILL HELP OR HURT KAT'S CAREER TO HAVE DISCLOSED THAT SHE HAS BULIMIA???
Do you think there is still a stigma associated with mental illness?

Friday, June 09, 2006

Self-inurious behavior. Cutters!

Study: 1 in 5 students practice self-injury
Some say they hurt to make emotional wounds visible


Monday, June 5, 2006; CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Nearly 1 in 5 students at two Ivy League schools say they have purposely injured themselves by cutting, burning or other methods, a disturbing phenomenon that psychologists say they are hearing about more often.
For some young people, self-abuse is an extreme coping mechanism that seems to help relieve stress; for others it's a way to make deep emotional wounds more visible.
The results of the survey at Cornell and Princeton are similar to other estimates on this frightening behavior. Counselors say it's happening at colleges, high schools and middle schools across the country.
Separate research found more than 400 Web sites devoted to subject, including many that glorify self-injury. Some worry that many sites serve as an online subculture that fuels the behavior -- although whether there has been an increase in the practice or just more awareness is unclear.
Sarah Rodey, 20, a University of Illinois student who started cutting herself at age 16, said some online sites help socially isolated kids feel like they belong. One of her favorites includes graphic photographs that the site warns might be "triggering."
"I saw myself in some of those pictures, in the poems. And because I saw myself there, I wanted to connect to it better" by self-injuring, Rodey said.
The Web sites, recent books and media coverage are pulling back the curtain on the secretive practice and helping researchers better understand why some as young as grade-schoolers do it.
"You're trying to get people to know that you're hurting, and at the same time, it pushes them away" because the behavior is so distressing, said Rodey, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
The latest prevalence estimate comes from an analysis of responses from 2,875 randomly selected male and female undergraduates and graduate students at Cornell and Princeton who completed an Internet-based mental health survey.
Seventeen percent said they had purposely injured themselves; among those, 70 percent had done so multiple times. The estimate is comparable to previous reports on U.S. adolescents and young adults, but slightly higher than studies of high school students in Australia and the United Kingdom.
The study appears in this month's issue of Pediatrics, released Monday. Cornell psychologist Janis Whitlock, the study's main author, also led the Web site research, published in April in Developmental Psychology.
Among the Ivy League students who harmed themselves, about half said they'd experienced sexual, emotional or physical abuse that researchers think can trigger self-abuse.
Repeat self-abusers were more likely than non-injurers to be female and to have had eating disorders or suicidal tendencies, although self-injuring is usually not considered a suicide attempt.
Greg Eels, director of counseling and psychological services at Cornell, said the study's findings are not surprising. "We see it frequently and it seems to be an increasing phenomenon."
While Eels said the competitive, stressful college environment may be particularly intense at Ivy League schools, he thinks the results reflect a national problem.
Dr. Daniel Silverman, a study co-author and Princeton's director of health services, said the study has raised consciousness among his staff, who are now encouraged to routinely ask about self-abuse when faced with students "in acute distress."
"Unless we start talking about it and making it more acceptable for people to come forward, it will remain hidden," Silverman said.
Some self-injurers have no diagnosable illness but have not learned effective ways to cope with life stresses, said Victoria White Kress, an associate professor at Youngstown State University in Ohio. She consults with high schools and says demand for her services has risen in recent years.
Psychologists who work with middle and high schools "are overwhelmed with referrals for these kids," said psychologist Richard Lieberman, who coordinates a suicide prevention program for Los Angeles public schools.
You're trying to get people to know that you're hurting, and at the same time, it pushes them away.
-- Sarah Rodey, 20, a University of Illinois student who has been cutting herself since age 16.
He said one school recently reported several fourth-graders with burns on their arms, and another seeking help for "15 hysterical seventh-grade girls in the office and they all have cuts on their arms."
In those situations, Lieberman said there's usually one instigator whose behavior is copied by sympathetic but probably less troubled friends.
Rodey, a college sophomore, said cutting became part of her daily high school routine.
"It was part of waking up, getting dressed, the last look in the mirror and then the cut on the wrist. It got to be where I couldn't have a perfect day without it," Rodey said.
"If I was apprehensive about going to school, or I wasn't feeling great, I did that and I'd get a little rush," she said.
Whitlock is among researchers who believe that "rush" is feel-good hormones called endorphins produced in response to pain. But it is often followed by deep shame and the injuries sometimes require medical treatment.
Vicki Duffy, 37, runs a Morris County, New Jersey, support group and said when she was in her 20s, she had skin graft surgery on her arms after burning herself with cigarettes and a fire-starter. After psychological and drug treatment, she stopped the behavior 10 years ago.
Author of the 2004 book "No More Pain: Breaking the Silence of Self-Injury," Duffy recalled being stopped on the street by a 70-year-old woman who saw her scarred arms and said, "'I used to do that."'
Rodey said she stopped several months ago with the help of S.A.F.E. (Self-Abuse Finally Ends) Alternatives treatment program at a suburban Chicago hospital. Treatment includes behavior therapy and keeping a written log to track what triggers the behavior.
Rodey said she feels "healed" but not cured "because it's something I will struggle with the rest of my life. Whenever I get really stressed out, that's the first thing I think about."

Friday, February 24, 2006

Andrea Yates is back in the news...Did she fake a mental illness?

Inmate: Yates talked of faking illness
Defense calls account 'sad and ludicrous'


Friday, February 24, 2006;
Andrea Yates, now in a state mental hospital, leaves jail with attorney George Parnham.
Andrea Yates
Crime, Law and Justice

HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- Andrea Yates once advised a fellow inmate that she could escape prosecution by pretending to be mentally ill and persuading a psychiatrist she suffered from serious disorders, according to court documents filed Thursday by prosecutors.
Felicia Doe, who spent four days in a jail block with Yates in 2002, told prosecutors last year that Yates instructed her not to eat, not to speak properly and not to be friendly or open in front of people if she wanted to "beat her case."
Yates, who is awaiting a new trial in the drowning of her young children, allegedly told Doe that if she could get the jail psychiatrist on her side, they could testify to her mental health, and they couldn't prosecute her if she was sick, according to the documents, which describe interviews with witnesses who could be called during Yates' trial.
Defense: 'Bogus' story
"According to the witness, the defendant basically told her, 'Do what I'm doing,"' prosecutor Kaylynn Williford wrote.
Yates' defense attorney, George Parham, called the account "sad and ludicrous."
"That is absolutely so bogus, it doesn't even deserve a response," he said. "That discounts the medications that this woman was on, the mental illness she suffers from."
Yates, 41, has pleaded innocent by reason of insanity.
During her 2002 trial, psychiatrists testified Yates suffered from schizophrenia and postpartum depression, but expert witnesses disagreed over the severity of her illness and whether it prevented her from knowing right from wrong.
A jury rejected Yates' original insanity defense and sentenced her to life in prison for the drowning of three of her five children ages 7, 5 and 6 months. Evidence was presented about the drowning of two others, ages 3 and 2, but Yates was not charged in their deaths.
Convictions overturned
Her convictions were overturned last year based on false testimony by an expert witness.
Doe, who could not be reached for comment, also told prosecutors that Yates disclosed details of the slayings, explaining that she locked a door so her oldest son, 7-year-old Noah, could not escape the house and describing him as crying so hard he vomited.
"She hit his head against the bathtub several times in an effort to incapacitate him," Doe told prosecutors.
Another inmate, Lynnette Licantino, told prosecutors Yates said her children "were just too much" and that her husband at the time, Russell Yates, would not let her put them in day care, according to the documents.
Licantino could not be located for comment.
Yates' trial is set to begin March 20.

Andrea Yates

Inmate: Yates talked of faking illness
Defense calls account 'sad and ludicrous'


Friday, February 24, 2006; Posted: 11:47 a.m. EST (16:47 GMT)
var clickExpire = "03/26/2006";

HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- Andrea Yates once advised a fellow inmate that she could escape prosecution by pretending to be mentally ill and persuading a psychiatrist she suffered from serious disorders, according to court documents filed Thursday by prosecutors.
Felicia Doe, who spent four days in a jail block with Yates in 2002, told prosecutors last year that Yates instructed her not to eat, not to speak properly and not to be friendly or open in front of people if she wanted to "beat her case."
Yates, who is awaiting a new trial in the drowning of her young children, allegedly told Doe that if she could get the jail psychiatrist on her side, they could testify to her mental health, and they couldn't prosecute her if she was sick, according to the documents, which describe interviews with witnesses who could be called during Yates' trial.
Defense: 'Bogus' story
"According to the witness, the defendant basically told her, 'Do what I'm doing,"' prosecutor Kaylynn Williford wrote.
Yates' defense attorney, George Parham, called the account "sad and ludicrous."
"That is absolutely so bogus, it doesn't even deserve a response," he said. "That discounts the medications that this woman was on, the mental illness she suffers from."
Yates, 41, has pleaded innocent by reason of insanity.
During her 2002 trial, psychiatrists testified Yates suffered from schizophrenia and postpartum depression, but expert witnesses disagreed over the severity of her illness and whether it prevented her from knowing right from wrong.
A jury rejected Yates' original insanity defense and sentenced her to life in prison for the drowning of three of her five children ages 7, 5 and 6 months. Evidence was presented about the drowning of two others, ages 3 and 2, but Yates was not charged in their deaths.
Convictions overturned
Her convictions were overturned last year based on false testimony by an expert witness.
Doe, who could not be reached for comment, also told prosecutors that Yates disclosed details of the slayings, explaining that she locked a door so her oldest son, 7-year-old Noah, could not escape the house and describing him as crying so hard he vomited.
"She hit his head against the bathtub several times in an effort to incapacitate him," Doe told prosecutors.
Another inmate, Lynnette Licantino, told prosecutors Yates said her children "were just too much" and that her husband at the time, Russell Yates, would not let her put them in day care, according to the documents.
Licantino could not be located for comment.
Yates' trial is set to begin March 20.