The frequency and macromorphological classification of abnormal blood vessel impressions and periosteal appositions of the dura mater in an early modern osteological collection from Poland.

OBJECTIVE: The macromorphological characteristics and frequency of endocranial abnormal blood vessel impressions (ABVI) and periosteal appositions of dura mater (PADM), and their association with sex, age-at-death and scurvy-like lesions were studied. The possible etiologies of these lesions were discussed. MATERIALS: A total of 144 adult skulls excavated from an early modern (16th-19th c. CE) cemetery at the Czysty Square in Wroclaw (Poland) were examined, most of which were intact. METHODS: The endocranial surface was inspected with an endoscope for the presence, location, and severity of ABVI and PADM. Frequencies of ABVI and PADM were grouped by sex and age-at-death. RESULTS: A little more than a half (53.5 %) of the examined skulls were affected by ABVI and/or PADM. PADM were more frequent in females. However, both alteration types occurred with similar frequencies across all age-at-death categories. CONCLUSIONS: The high frequency of ABVI and PADM suggests that meningeal infections and/or hemorrhage among inhabitants of early modern Wroclaw, especially in females, were common. SIGNIFICANCE: The paper emphasizes the need for using an endoscope in standard anthropological analysis of intact skulls, as it allows for a nondestructive inspection of the endocranial surface. LIMITATIONS: The endoscope did not allow for an accurate examination of the middle cranial fossa. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Comparative studies with other historical populations are necessary to better understand the possible etiologies of macromorphological and demographic characteristics of ABVI and PADM.

Assessment of the Relationship between the Total Occlusal Area of the Human Permanent Upper First and Second Molars and the Robusticity of the Facial Skeleton in Sex-Different Cranial Samples of Homo Sapiens: A Preliminary Study.

The aim of this study was to establish whether there is a significant relationship between the total occlusal area (TOCA) of two types of permanent upper molars (first-M1 and second-M2) and facial robusticity, as well as which of the examined facial regions indicate a relationship concerning the grade of their massiveness with the TOCA of analyzed molars in different sex adult Homo sapiens cranial samples. To obtain the values of the TOCA of the molars (n = 145), a morphometric method was performed based on the calibrated digital images of their occlusal surface using ImageJ software. The grades of the massiveness of six facial regions were assessed using qualitative scales of their expression, and an index of general facial robusticity was calculated. Two types of analyses were performed concerning standardized and non-standardized traits to the facial size, including Spearman's/or Pearson's correlations and partial rank correlations. The obtained results indicated the presence of a positive relationship between the relative TOCA of M2s and the relative general facial robusticity, as well as between the TOCA of both types of molars and the massiveness of trigone region of the facial skeleton in male crania. However, most of the obtained results were not consistent with the assumptions of the "localized masticatory stress hypothesis".

Identification of mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) protein partners using tandem affinity purification and mass spectrometry.

BACKGROUND: According to the World Health Organization Report, depressive disorders affect about 10% of the population. The molecular mechanism of the pathogenesis of depression is still not well understood. The new findings point to phosphatases as potential targets for effective depression therapy. The aim of the present work was the development of a method that would enable the identification of mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) protein partners using a proteomic approach. METHODS: The research was carried out using the PC12 cell line, often used as a model for neurobiological research. The use of the procedure for efficient purification of protein complexes-tandem affinity purification (TAP) will facilitate the identification of proteins interacting with MKP-1, a potential goal of effective antidepressant therapy. RESULTS: Identified proteins belong to various groups: cytoskeletal, ribosomal, nucleic acid binding, chaperones, and enzymes and may potentially be involved in the molecular mechanism of depression. CONCLUSIONS: The presented protocol for the purification of protein complexes is universal and can be successfully used in different mammalian cell lines. Proteins identified in the present work have been reported in the literature concerning studies on depressive disorders, which speaks in favour of their role in depression.

Trait sensitivity to negative feedback determines the effects of chronic stress and chronic mirtazapine treatment on anxiety and stress-coping strategies in rats.

In this study, we examined whether trait sensitivity to negative feedback (NF) can interact with the effects of chronic stress and antidepressant treatment on anxiety and stress-induced coping strategies in rats. Results of the conducted experiments indicated that animals displaying trait insensitivity to NF were more prone to develop stress-induced anxiety than their NF-sensitive conspecifics. Moreover, an analysis of the behavioral patterns displayed by the NF-insensitive animals during the forced swim test (FST) revealed complementary (anxiety-driven) effects of trait sensitivity to NF on the strategy of coping with an acute, stressful situation. Finally, an analysis of the interactions between NF sensitivity and the effects of antidepressant drug - mirtazapine - revealed that in animals subjected to chronic stress, the effects of the drug on anxiety and coping strategies differ significantly between animals classified as NF insensitive and NF sensitive. The present results suggest that NF sensitivity screening could be potentially used to determine individual vulnerability to development of affective disorders and effectivity of their treatment.

Trait sensitivity to negative feedback determines the intensity of compulsive alcohol seeking and taking in male rats.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol use disorder is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, and it is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. It has been demonstrated previously that people with alcohol use disorder are less sensitive to the negative outcomes of their actions and less able to use negative feedback to guide and adjust their ongoing behaviour. However, far less is known about the aberrant processing of negative feedback before the onset of alcohol use disorder. In this study, we investigated the theoretical claim that sensitivity to negative feedback - as a stable and enduring behavioural trait - can predict vulnerability to the development of compulsive alcohol consumption in rats. METHODS: We trained and tested rats in a series of probabilistic reversal learning tests, and based on this "negative feedback sensitivity screening," we classified each rat as more or less sensitive to negative feedback. Then, in the intermittent-access 2-bottle choice paradigm, we measured alcohol consumption in the animals classified above. In the next step, using the instrumental second-order chained schedule of alcohol reinforcement task, we examined the influence of sensitivity to negative feedback on the development of compulsive alcohol seeking behaviour. Finally, we measured how trait sensitivity to negative feedback affected the extinction and reinstatement of alcohol seeking after a period of abstinence. RESULTS: Trait sensitivity to negative feedback predicted the vulnerability of rats to the development of compulsive alcohol seeking and consumption. We also found significant differences between the more sensitive and less sensitive groups in their propensity to extinguish alcohol seeking behaviours when the alcohol was no longer available. LIMITATIONS: The findings from our study did not answer the question of whether individual differences in sensitivity to negative feedback have a genetic basis or develop in response to postnatal experiences. CONCLUSION: The results of our study suggest that negative feedback sensitivity screening could be used to evaluate individual vulnerability to the development and maintenance of alcohol use disorder.

Comparative Study of Brain Size Ontogeny: Marsupials and Placental Mammals.

There exists a negative allometry between vertebrate brain size and body size. It has been well studied among placental mammals but less is known regarding marsupials. Consequently, this study explores brain/body ontogenetic growth in marsupials and compares it with placental mammals. Pouch young samples of 43 koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), 28 possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), and 36 tammar wallabies (Macropus eugenii) preserved in a solution of 10% buffered formalin, as well as fresh juveniles and adults of 43 koalas and 40 possums, were studied. Their brain size/body size allometry was compared to that among humans, rhesus monkeys, dogs, cats, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, wild pigs, and mice. Two patterns of allometric curves were found: a logarithmic one (marsupials, rabbits, wild pigs, and guinea pigs) and a logistic one (the rest of mammals).

Reinforcement-based cognitive biases as vulnerability factors in alcohol addiction: From humans to animal models.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is one of the most common, but still poorly treated, psychiatric conditions. Developing new treatments requires a better understanding of the aetiology of symptoms and evaluation of novel therapeutic targets in preclinical studies. Recent developments in our understanding of the reinforcement-based cognitive biases (RBCBs) that contribute to the development of AUD and its treatment offer new opportunities for both clinical and preclinical research. In this review, we first briefly describe psychological and cognitive theories that involve various aspects of reinforcement sensitivity in the development, maintenance, and recurrence of alcohol addiction. Furthermore, in separate sections, we describe studies investigating RBCBs and their neural, neurochemical, and pharmacological correlates, and we discuss possible interactions between RBCBs and trajectories of AUD. Finally, we describe how recent translational studies using state-of-the-art animal models can facilitate our understanding of the role of reinforcement sensitivity and RBCBs in various aspects of AUD. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed issue on New discoveries and perspectives in mental and pain disorders. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v179.17/issuetoc.

Neuromolecular Underpinnings of Negative Cognitive Bias in Depression.

This selective review aims to summarize the recent advances in understanding the neuromolecular underpinnings of biased cognition in depressive disorder. We begin by considering the cognitive correlates of depressed mood and the key brain systems implicated in its development. We then review the core findings across two domains of biased cognitive function in depression: pessimistic judgment bias and abnormal response to negative feedback. In considering their underlying substrates, we focus on the neurochemical mechanisms identified by genetic, molecular and pharmacological challenge studies. We conclude by discussing experimental approaches to the treatment of depression, which are derived largely from an improved understanding of its cognitive substrates.

A Case of Syphilis with High Bone Arsenic Concentration from Early Modern Cemetery (Wroclaw, Poland).

Venereal syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum - Gram-negative, slowly growing bacteria. The spread of the disease in the Old World was due to increased birth rate, urban population growth, migration and lack of knowledge concerning the epidemiology. In the past, the treatment was mainly symptomatic and included application of mercury compounds. The goal of the study was to present the case of advanced venereal syphilis found in early modern (16th-18thc) graveyard localized in Wroclaw, Poland. The object of the study is a cranium of a male whose age at death has been estimated to be over 55. In order to observe the morphological and paleopathological characteristics of the examined material, anthropometrics, computed tomography, spectrometry and microscopic methods were incorporated. Microscopic analysis revealed the presence of the extensive inflammatory lesions. Analyses indicate tertiary stage of venereal syphilis as the most probable cause of the observed lesions. Concentration of arsenic (16.17±0.58 µg/g) in examined bone samples was about hundred times bigger than average arsenic concentration in bones reported in other studies. Advanced stage of observed lesions along with high arsenic level may suggest long-lasting palliative care and usage of arsenic compound in therapeutic treatment of this chronic disease.

The relationship of cranial, orbital and nasal cavity size with the morphology of the supraorbital region in modern Homo sapiens.

ABSTRACT: Morphological variation of the supraorbital region (SR) in human crania has been investigated and its potential sources suggested, along with the importance of the size of the facial skeleton, neurocranium, and orbit for the formation of this region. However, previous studies have not indicated whether facial size exhibits a stronger association with SR robusticity than neurocranial size or sex; moreover, the association between orbital volume and SR robusticity has been analysed only in non-human primate skulls. In this study we investigate whether the size of the facial skeleton, neurocranium, two measures of relative orbital size (orbital volume and estimated orbital aperture area), the relative size of the nasal cavity, and the relative estimated area of the anterior nasal cavity opening are related to SR robusticity; we also examine which of these analysed relationships is strongest, as well as independent of the influence of the other traits, in a geographically diverse modern human cranial sample. The results of Spearman's rank and partial rank correlations (encompassing models including or excluding sex and geographic origin) show a relationship between most of the above-mentioned variables and SR robusticity, with the exception of the estimated relative area of the orbital opening (in the case of the results of Spearman's rank correlations) and the traits of the nasal cavity. Of all the analysed traits, sex appears to be the most important for the formation of SR robusticity and, of two measures of cranial size, neurocranial size was the most significant. The strong relationship between SR robusticity and relative orbital volume was observed in models without the geographic origin factor. The results concerning analysed models suggest the influence of this factor on this relationship; however, to explain this influence, further studies are needed.

The face of conflict: Significant sharp force trauma to the mid-facial skeleton in an individual of probable 16th-17th century date excavated from Byczyna, Poland.

A variety of injuries have always been associated with violence, consequences of which people had to deal with. In this paper we present a complex of craniofacial and dental injuries resulted from sharp force trauma. The basis of our study was historical skeletal material excavated from archeological site in Byczyna (11th-17th century), Poland. An individual whose skeleton was exhumed from the grave No. 610 exhibited healed, oblique trauma of the left maxilla, damage to the crowns of right central and lateral incisors and concomitant luxation of the right maxillary central incisor. We describe the mechanism of this trauma and complications that resulted from damage to the masticatory apparatus.