Body image, self-compassion, and sexual distress in individuals living with endometriosis.

OBJECTIVE: Extensive psychological burden is associated with the experience of living with endometriosis, including negative changes to body image and sexual functioning. Emerging evidence suggests that potential protective factors such as body appreciation and self-compassion may help mitigate these adverse impacts of endometriosis. This study aimed to investigate the association of body image, both positive (body appreciation) and negative (body image disturbance) dimensions, with sexual distress and the potential buffering effect of self-compassion on the body image-sexual distress link. METHODS: Data were collected via an online cross-sectional survey (N = 471) assessing body image disturbance, body appreciation, self-compassion and sexual distress in individuals with endometriosis. A series of hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted to explore the relationship between key variables. RESULTS: >80% of the sample reported clinically significant sexual distress and high levels of body image disturbance. Regression analyses indicated a moderate positive effect of body image disturbance with sexual distress, and a weaker inverse effect of self-compassion with sexual distress. Body appreciation was not associated with sexual distress, and no moderating effects of self-compassion were evident. CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of sexual distress identified in this sample, along with the finding that body image disturbance was strongly associated with sexual distress, suggest that psychosocial interventions addressing body image may help ameliorate sexual distress in individuals with endometriosis.

Delineating sociodemographic, medical and quality of life factors associated with psychological distress in individuals with endometriosis.

STUDY QUESTION: What is the relationship between specific quality of life domains and depression, anxiety and stress in the endometriosis population? SUMMARY ANSWER: Psychosocial domains of quality of life, such as a perception of social support and self-image, are more strongly associated with depression, anxiety and stress than pain and medical factors. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Prior research indicates a high prevalence of anxiety and depression in individuals with endometriosis. Pain is thought to be critical in the development of psychological distress, however prior research has investigated this association without consideration of psychosocial quality of life domains such as social functioning, perceived social support and self-image. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: This study is a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data collected in a longitudinal study exploring psychological distress in endometriosis (n = 584). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Individuals living with endometriosis participated in this study and were recruited via online platforms of community organizations and support groups. Demographic and medical information concerning endometriosis treatment and diagnosis was self-reported. Psychological distress and quality of life was measured using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), Endometriosis Health Profile-30 (EHP-30) and the Short Form Survey (SF-36v2). A series of linear regression analyses explored the relationship between specific quality of life domains and the primary outcomes of depression, anxiety and stress. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Approximately half of the participants in this sample reported moderate to severe anxiety, depression and stress. Quality of life domains, particularly perceived social support, social functioning and self-image, were more strongly associated with psychological distress than medical or demographic factors. Pain was associated with anxiety, but not depression or stress. A greater number of endometriosis symptoms was only associated with depression. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: These data are cross-sectional and, therefore, causality cannot be inferred from this analysis. Information about endometriosis diagnosis and treatment was self-reported, and not verified against medical records. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: This study indicates that psychosocial factors may be more salient factors underlying depression, anxiety and stress in the endometriosis population than pain and medical factors. There is a need for interventions that target psychological distress in this population with a focus on the broader impact of endometriosis beyond pain and physical symptomatology. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This research was supported by the Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship awarded to C.S.M. by Macquarie University. The remaining authors have nothing to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12619001508167.

Blunt innominate artery trauma requiring repair and carotid ligation.

Traumatic dissection of the innominate artery is a rare clinical entity. Management of a patient with motorsensory compromise and dissection extending to the subclavian and right common carotid arteries is quite rare and can be quite involved. Here we present such a case and discuss the unique peri-operative decision-making in the context of what is reported in the literature. Restoration of motorsensory function is critical and in this case, requiring a multi-disciplinary team.

Stability of dissolved and soluble Fe(II) in shelf sediment pore waters and release to an oxic water column.

Shelf sediments underlying temperate and oxic waters of the Celtic Sea (NW European Shelf) were found to have shallow oxygen penetrations depths from late spring to late summer (2.2-5.8 mm below seafloor) with the shallowest during/after the spring-bloom (mid-April to mid-May) when the organic carbon content was highest. Sediment porewater dissolved iron (dFe, <0.15 µm) mainly (>85%) consisted of Fe(II) and gradually increased from 0.4 to 15 µM at the sediment surface to ~100-170 µM at about 6 cm depth. During the late spring this Fe(II) was found to be mainly present as soluble Fe(II) (>85% sFe, <0.02 µm). Sub-surface dFe(II) maxima were enriched in light isotopes (δ56Fe -2.0 to -1.5‰), which is attributed to dissimilatory iron reduction (DIR) during the bacterial decomposition of organic matter. As porewater Fe(II) was oxidised to insoluble Fe(III) in the surface sediment layer, residual Fe(II) was further enriched in light isotopes (down to -3.0‰). Ferrozine-reactive Fe(II) was found in surface porewaters and in overlying core top waters, and was highest in the late spring period. Shipboard experiments showed that depletion of bottom water oxygen in late spring can lead to a substantial release of Fe(II). Reoxygenation of bottom water caused this Fe(II) to be rapidly lost from solution, but residual dFe(II) and dFe(III) remained (12 and 33 nM) after >7 h. Iron(II) oxidation experiments in core top and bottom waters also showed removal from solution but at rates up to 5-times slower than predicted from theoretical reaction kinetics. These data imply the presence of ligands capable of complexing Fe(II) and supressing oxidation. The lower oxidation rate allows more time for the diffusion of Fe(II) from the sediments into the overlying water column. Modelling indicates significant diffusive fluxes of Fe(II) (on the order of 23-31 µmol m-2 day-1) are possible during late spring when oxygen penetration depths are shallow, and pore water Fe(II) concentrations are highest. In the water column this stabilised Fe(II) will gradually be oxidised and become part of the dFe(III) pool. Thus oxic continental shelves can supply dFe to the water column, which is enhanced during a small period of the year after phytoplankton bloom events when organic matter is transferred to the seafloor. This input is based on conservative assumptions for solute exchange (diffusion-reaction), whereas (bio)physical advection and resuspension events are likely to accelerate these solute exchanges in shelf-seas.

On the possibility of using X-ray Compton scattering to study magnetoelectrical properties of crystals.

This paper discusses the possibility of using Compton scattering--an inelastic X-ray scattering process that yields a projection of the electron momentum density--to probe magnetoelectrical properties. It is shown that an antisymmetric component of the momentum density is a unique fingerprint of such time- and parity-odd physics. It is argued that polar ferromagnets are ideal candidates to demonstrate this phenomenon and the first experimental results are shown, on a single-domain crystal of GaFeO3. The measured antisymmetric Compton profile is very small (≃ 10(-5) of the symmetric part) and of the same order of magnitude as the statistical errors. Relativistic first-principles simulations of the antisymmetric Compton profile are presented and it is shown that, while the effect is indeed predicted by theory, and scales with the size of the valence spin-orbit interaction, its magnitude is significantly overestimated. The paper outlines some important constraints on the properties of the antisymmetric Compton profile arising from the underlying crystallographic symmetry of the sample.

Effective emotion regulation strategies improve fMRI and ECG markers of psychopathology in panic disorder: implications for psychological treatment action.

Impairments in emotion regulation are thought to have a key role in the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders, but the neurobiological underpinnings contributing to vulnerability remain poorly understood. It has been a long-held view that exaggerated fear is linked to hyperresponsivity of limbic brain areas and impaired recruitment of prefrontal control. However, increasing evidence suggests that prefrontal-cortical networks are hyperactive during threat processing in anxiety disorders. This study directly explored limbic-prefrontal neural response, connectivity and heart-rate variability (HRV) in patients with a severe anxiety disorder during incidental versus intentional emotion regulation. During 3 Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging, 18 participants with panic disorder and 18 healthy controls performed an emotion regulation task. They either viewed negative images naturally (Maintain), or they were instructed to intentionally downregulate negative affect using previously taught strategies of cognitive reappraisal (Reappraisal). Electrocardiograms were recorded throughout to provide a functional measure of regulation and emotional processing. Compared with controls, patients showed increased neural activation in limbic-prefrontal areas and reduced HRV during incidental emotion regulation (Maintain). During intentional regulation (Reappraisal), group differences were significantly attenuated. These findings emphasize patients' ability to regulate negative affect if provided with adaptive strategies. They also bring prefrontal hyperactivation forward as a potential mechanism of psychopathology in anxiety disorders. Although these results challenge models proposing impaired allocation of prefrontal resources as a key characteristic of anxiety disorders, they are in line with more recent neurobiological frameworks suggesting that prefrontal hyperactivation might reflect increased utilisation of maladaptive regulation strategies quintessential for anxiety disorders.

Age and lesion-induced increases of GDNF transgene expression in brain following intracerebral injections of DNA nanoparticles.

In previous studies that used compacted DNA nanoparticles (DNP) to transfect cells in the brain, we observed higher transgene expression in the denervated striatum when compared to transgene expression in the intact striatum. We also observed that long-term transgene expression occurred in astrocytes as well as neurons. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that the higher transgene expression observed in the denervated striatum may be a function of increased gliosis. Several aging studies have also reported an increase of gliosis as a function of normal aging. In this study we used DNPs that encoded for human glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (hGDNF) and either a non-specific human polyubiquitin C (UbC) or an astrocyte-specific human glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) promoter. The DNPs were injected intracerebrally into the denervated or intact striatum of young, middle-aged or aged rats, and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) transgene expression was subsequently quantified in brain tissue samples. The results of our studies confirmed our earlier finding that transgene expression was higher in the denervated striatum when compared to intact striatum for DNPs incorporating either promoter. In addition, we observed significantly higher transgene expression in the denervated striatum of old rats when compared to young rats following injections of both types of DNPs. Stereological analysis of GFAP+ cells in the striatum confirmed an increase of GFAP+ cells in the denervated striatum when compared to the intact striatum and also an age-related increase; importantly, increases in GFAP+ cells closely matched the increases in GDNF transgene levels. Thus neurodegeneration and aging may lay a foundation that is actually beneficial for this particular type of gene therapy while other gene therapy techniques that target neurons are actually targeting cells that are decreasing as the disease progresses.

Fifteen-year global time series of satellite-derived fine particulate matter.

Ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a leading environmental risk factor for premature mortality. We use aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrieved from two satellite instruments, MISR and SeaWiFS, to produce a unified 15-year global time series (1998-2012) of ground-level PM2.5 concentration at a resolution of 1° x 1°. The GEOS-Chem chemical transport model (CTM) is used to relate each individual AOD retrieval to ground-level PM2.5. Four broad areas showing significant, spatially coherent, annual trends are examined in detail: the Eastern U.S. (-0.39 ± 0.10 µg m(-3) yr(-1)), the Arabian Peninsula (0.81 ± 0.21 µg m(-3) yr(-1)), South Asia (0.93 ± 0.22 µg m(-3) yr(-1)) and East Asia (0.79 ± 0.27 µg m(-3) yr(-1)). Over the period of dense in situ observation (1999-2012), the linear tendency for the Eastern U.S. (-0.37 ± 0.13 µg m(-3) yr(-1)) agrees well with that from in situ measurements (-0.38 ± 0.06 µg m(-3) yr(-1)). A GEOS-Chem simulation reveals that secondary inorganic aerosols largely explain the observed PM2.5 trend over the Eastern U.S., South Asia, and East Asia, while mineral dust largely explains the observed trend over the Arabian Peninsula.

Intranasal administration of plasmid DNA nanoparticles yields successful transfection and expression of a reporter protein in rat brain.

Viral vectors are a commonly used method for gene therapy because of their highly efficient transduction of cells. However, many vectors have a small genetic capacity, and their potential for immunogenicity can limit their usefulness. Moreover, for disorders of the central nervous system (CNS), the need for invasive surgical delivery of viruses to the brain also detracts from their clinical applicability. Here, we show that intranasal delivery of unimolecularly compacted DNA nanoparticles (DNA NPs), which consist of single molecules of plasmid DNA encoding enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) compacted with 10 kDa polyethylene glycol (PEG)-substituted lysine 30-mers (CK30PEG10k), successfully transfect cells in the rat brain. Direct eGFP fluorescence microscopy, eGFP-immunohistochemistry (IHC) and eGFP-ELISA all demonstrated eGFP protein expression 2 days after intranasal delivery. eGFP-positive cells were found throughout the rostral-caudal axis of the brain, most often adjacent to capillary endothelial cells. This localization provides evidence for distribution of the nasally administered DNA NPs via perivascular flow. These results are the first report that intranasal delivery of DNA NPs can bypass the blood-brain barrier and transfect and express the encoded protein in the rat brain, affording a non-invasive approach for gene therapy of CNS disorders.

Impact of age extension to include 47-49 year old women on the workload of the surgical department of a single Breast Cancer Screening Unit--The first non-randomized experience in UK.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to assess the impact on the surgical unit of the first year (prevalence screening) of non-randomized invitations to 47-49 year old women for breast screening, from a single breast screening unit. METHODS: All women undergoing surgery in the age group 47-49 years, referred via screening were identified and the increased workload analysed. RESULTS: 4250 (76%) women were screened of the 5624 invited. 396 women were recalled, of whom 88 (22%) underwent a core biopsy. 32 patients required surgical intervention. 20 patients (62.5%) were confirmed to have either DCIS (6 patients) or invasive malignancy (14 patients). They required 37 theatres attendances requiring 42 operations. 16 wire guided wide local excisions (14 with sentinel node biopsy), 7 mastectomies (2 with sentinel node biopsy; 1 with axillary clearance), 6 margin re-excisions, 1 tissue expander insertion and removal, 3 Latissimus Dorsi with implant and 2 TRAM reconstructions. Other cases include haematoma drainage, scar revisions and nipple reconstructions. This group generated 100 NHS surgical outpatient consultations (78 breast and 22 plastic surgery). 12 patients (37.5%) underwent surgery for a B3 vacuum result; 10 underwent wire guided and 1 ultrasound guided skin marked excision biopsy. 1 patient was treated privately. This group generated 25 NHS surgical outpatients consultations. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the impact of the 47-49 year age extension within the breast screening programme on the workload of the surgical department of a UK Breast Cancer Screening Unit offering non-randomized invitations. The study will inform other surgical units of expected workload when age extension is fully implemented.

Effects of low dose tryptophan depletion on emotional processing in dieters.

Biased processing of ED-relevant stimuli (eg Fairburn, Shafran, & Cooper, 1999) and 5-HT function (Kaye, Fudge, & Paulus, 2009) are implicated in vulnerability to and the maintenance of eating disorders (EDs), but it is not known if these findings are connected: Could manipulating 5-HT function affect the processing of ED-relevant stimuli? To address this question we assessed emotional processing in female dieters (T+n=12, T-n=14) following acute low dose tryptophan depletion. ATD increased interference in the masked condition of the emotional Stroop to all negative emotional stimuli, in the absence of any other differences in emotional processing. These results suggest that ATD affects the processing of some negative (including ED-relevant) stimuli, and that reduced 5-HT function may be involved in some aspects of psychological vulnerability to EDs.

Neural correlates of the processing of self-referent emotional information in bulimia nervosa.

There is increasing interest in understanding the roles of distorted beliefs about the self, ostensibly unrelated to eating, weight and shape, in eating disorders (EDs), but little is known about their neural correlates. We therefore used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the neural correlates of self-referent emotional processing in EDs. During the scan, unmedicated patients with bulimia nervosa (n=11) and healthy controls (n=16) responded to personality words previously found to be related to negative self beliefs in EDs and depression. Rating of the negative personality descriptors resulted in reduced activation in patients compared to controls in parietal, occipital and limbic areas including the amygdala. There was no evidence that reduced activity in patients was secondary to increased cognitive control. Different patterns of neural activation between patients and controls may be the result of either habituation to personally relevant negative self beliefs or of emotional blunting in patients.

Transgene expression in the striatum following intracerebral injections of DNA nanoparticles encoding for human glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor.

A goal of our studies is to develop a potential therapeutic for Parkinson's disease (PD) by a human glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (hGDNF) expression plasmid administered to the rat striatum as a compacted DNA nanoparticle (DNP) and which will generate long-term hGDNF expression at biologically active levels. In the present study, we used a DNA plasmid encoding for hGDNF and a polyubiquitin C (UbC) promoter that was previously shown to have activity in both neurons and glia, but primarily in glia. A two-fold improvement was observed at the highest plasmid dose when using hGDNF DNA incorporating sequences found in RNA splice variant 1 compared with splice variant 2; of note, the splice variant 2 sequence is used in most preclinical studies. This optimized expression cassette design includes flanking scaffold matrix attachment elements (S/MARs) as well as a CpG-depleted prokaryotic domain and, where possible, eukaryotic elements. Stable long-term GDNF activity at levels 300-400% higher than baseline was observed following a single intracerebral injection. In a previous study, DNP plasmids encoding for reporter genes had been successful in generating long-term reporter transgene activity in the striatum (>365 days) and in this study produced sustained GDNF activity at the longest assessed time point (6 months).

Neural response to angry and disgusted facial expressions in bulimia nervosa.

BACKGROUND: Processing emotional facial expressions is of interest in eating disorders (EDs) as impairments in recognizing and understanding social cues might underlie the interpersonal difficulties experienced by these patients. Disgust and anger are of particular theoretical and clinical interest. The current study investigated the neural response to facial expressions of anger and disgust in bulimia nervosa (BN). METHOD: Participants were 12 medication-free women with BN in an acute episode (mean age 24 years), and 16 age-, gender- and IQ-matched healthy volunteers (HVs). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to examine neural responses to angry and disgusted facial expressions. RESULTS: Compared with HVs, patients with BN had a decreased neural response in the precuneus to facial expressions of both anger and disgust and a decreased neural response to angry facial expressions in the right amygdala. CONCLUSIONS: The neural response to emotional facial expressions in BN differs from that found in HVs. The precuneus response may be consistent with the application of mentalization theory to EDs, and the amygdala response with relevant ED theory. The findings are preliminary, but novel, and require replication in a larger sample.

Biases in emotional processing are associated with vulnerability to eating disorders over time.

Biases in emotional processing are thought to play a role in the maintenance of eating disorders (EDs). In a previous study (Pringle et al., 2010), we were able to demonstrate that biases in the processing of negative self beliefs (a self-schema processing task), facial expressions of emotion (a facial expression recognition task) and information relating to eating, shape and weight (an emotional Stroop) were all predictive of the level of subclinical ED symptoms (used here as a measure of risk) cross-sectionally in a vulnerable sample of dieters. The present study was a 12-month follow up of the participants from Pringle et al. (2010). Longitudinally, greater endorsement of ED relevant and depression relevant negative self beliefs in the self-schema processing task at time 1 was related to subclinical ED systems (level of risk) 12 months later at time 2. Compared to the cross-sectional study, there was no clear relationship between performance on the facial expression recognition task, emotional Stroop task and level of risk 12 months later. Although these findings are preliminary, one tentative interpretation may be that whilst biases in the processing of ED specific stimuli are predictive of level of risk at a given moment, over time less specific stimuli relating to beliefs about the self, including mood related variables, are more closely related to level of risk.

Effects of nutrient restriction of bovine dams during early gestation on postnatal growth, carcass and organ characteristics, and gene expression in adipose tissue and muscle.

Angus x Hereford heifers (15 mo and artificially inseminated to a single sire) were used to evaluate the effect of prenatal nutritional restriction on postnatal growth and development. At d 32 of gestation, dams were stratified by BW and BCS and allotted to a low-nutrition [55% of NRC (1996) requirements, n = 10] or moderate-nutrition [100% of NRC (1996) requirements, n = 10] diet. After 83 d of feeding, dams were commingled and received a diet in excess of requirements. Dams were allowed to calve naturally, and birth weights and growth of calves were recorded. Bulls were castrated at birth. Steers (16 mo of age, 5 per treatment) received a high-concentrate diet ad libitum to a constant age (88 ± 1 wk). Steers were slaughtered and weights of the empty body and organs were recorded. Samples of organs, muscle (complexus), and perirenal and subcutaneous adipose tissue were stored at -80 degrees C, and then DNA and protein concentrations were quantified and expression of genes associated with fatty acid metabolism and glucose uptake were measured in adipose and muscle tissue. Dams had similar (P > 0.33) BW and BCS at the beginning of the experiment. At the end of restriction, dams on the low-nutrition diet weighed less (P ≤ 0.01) and had less BCS (P < 0.001) than those on the moderate-nutrition diet. Length of gestation was 274 ± 2 d for dams in the low-nutrition treatment and 278 ± 2 d (P = 0.05) for dams in the moderate-nutrition treatment. Nutrient restriction during gestation did not influence birth weight or postnatal growth of calves. Lungs and trachea of steers whose dams were fed the low-nutrition diet weighed less (P = 0.05) at slaughter than those of steers whose dams were fed the moderate-nutrition diet; weights of other organs were not influenced by treatment. Complexus muscle from steers whose dams were fed the low-nutrition diet had a greater (P = 0.04) concentration of DNA and larger muscle fiber area compared with steers whose dams were fed the moderate-nutrition diet. Abundance of mRNA for fatty acid binding protein 4, fatty acid translocase, and glucose transporter 4 was less in perirenal adipose tissue of steers whose dams were fed the low-nutrition diet compared with those whose dams were fed the moderate-nutrition diet. Nutritional restriction of dams during early gestation did not alter postnatal calf growth. However, concentrations of DNA in muscle tissue and muscle fiber area were greater in steers from dams exposed to restricted nutrient intake during early gestation.

Effects of nutrient restriction of bovine dams during early gestation on postnatal growth and regulation of plasma glucose.

Angus x Hereford heifers (15 mo and AI to a single sire) were used to evaluate the effect of prenatal nutritional restriction on postnatal growth and regulation of glucose in plasma. Dams (d 32 of gestation) were stratified by BW and BCS and allotted to low [LN, 55% of NRC (1996) requirements, n = 7] or moderate nutrition [MN, 100% of NRC (1996) requirements, n = 7]. After 83 d of feeding, dams were commingled and received a diet in excess of requirements. Dams were allowed to calve naturally, and bull calves were castrated at birth. Dams and calves were maintained as a group until weaning, and calves were maintained as a group after weaning. Calves (15 mo of age) were adapted to a similar diet during 2 wk; catheters were placed in both jugular veins; and calves were confined in stalls. Two days later, calves were subjected to an intravenous glucose challenge and the next day to an insulin challenge. Dams had similar (P = 0.31) BW at the beginning of the experiment. At the end of restriction, LN dams weighed less (P ≤ 0.01) and had less BCS (P < 0.001) compared with MN dams. Length of gestation was not affected by prenatal nutritional treatment. Nutrient restriction during gestation did not influence birth weight or postnatal growth. Concentrations of glucose (P = 0.49) and insulin (P = 0.29) were not different in plasma of LN and MN calves before glucose infusion. Plasma concentrations of glucose, after intravenous administration of glucose, decreased more rapidly (P = 0.05) in LN compared with MN calves. Concentrations of glucose (P = 0.68) and insulin (P = 0.55) in plasma of LN and MN calves were similar after infusion of insulin. Nutritional restriction of dams during early gestation did not influence postnatal growth, but altered clearance of glucose after a bolus infusion of glucose.

Investigating vulnerability to eating disorders: biases in emotional processing.

BACKGROUND: Biases in emotional processing and cognitions about the self are thought to play a role in the maintenance of eating disorders (EDs). However, little is known about whether these difficulties exist pre-morbidly and how they might contribute to risk. METHOD: Female dieters (n=82) completed a battery of tasks designed to assess the processing of social cues (facial emotion recognition), cognitions about the self [Self-Schema Processing Task (SSPT)] and ED-specific cognitions about eating, weight and shape (emotional Stroop). The 26-item Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26; Garner et al. 1982) was used to assess subclinical ED symptoms; this was used as an index of vulnerability within this at-risk group. RESULTS: Regression analyses showed that biases in the processing of both neutral and angry faces were predictive of our measure of vulnerability (EAT-26). In the self-schema task, biases in the processing of negative self descriptors previously found to be common in EDs predicted vulnerability. Biases in the processing of shape-related words on the Stroop task were also predictive; however, these biases were more important in dieters who also displayed biases in the self-schema task. We were also able to demonstrate that these biases are specific and separable from more general negative biases that could be attributed to depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that specific biases in the processing of social cues, cognitions about the self, and also about eating, weight and shape information, may be important in understanding risk and preventing relapse in EDs.

Severe deficiency of coagulation Factor VII results in spontaneous cardiac fibrosis in mice.

Mice genetically modified to produce low levels (approximately 1% of wild-type) of coagulation FVII presented with echocardiographic evidence of heart abnormalities. Decreases in ventricular size and reductions in systolic and diastolic functions were found, suggestive of a restrictive cardiomyopathy and consistent with an infiltrative myopathic process. Microscopic analysis of mouse hearts showed severe patchy fibrosis in the low-FVII mice. Haemosiderin deposition was discovered in hearts of these mice, along with increases in inflammatory cell number, ultimately resulting in widespread collagen deposition. Significant increases in mRNA levels of TGFbeta, TNFalpha and several matrix metalloproteinases in low-FVII mice, beginning at early ages, supported a state of cardiac remodelling associated with the fibrotic pathology. Mechanistic time-course studies suggested that cardiac fibrosis in low-FVII mice originated from bleeding in heart tissue, resulting in the recruitment of leukocytes, which released inflammatory mediators and induced collagen synthesis and secretion. These events led to necrosis of cardiomyocytes and collagen deposition, characteristics of cardiac fibrosis. The results of this study demonstrated that haemorrhagic and inflammatory responses to a severe FVII deficiency resulted in the development of cardiac fibrosis, observed echocardiographically as a restrictive cardiomyopathy, with compromised ventricular diastolic and systolic functions.

Magnetic Compton scattering study of the magnetocaloric material Gd(7)Pd(3).

The spin-dependent momentum density of Gd(7)Pd(3) was probed by the magnetic Compton scattering technique with elliptically polarized synchrotron radiation. A contribution to the spin moment from Pd 4d electrons was observed, at 2 and 280 K, alongside a large Gd 4f moment and a smaller Gd 5d moment. The total spin moment, at 2 K, was determined as 50.8 ± 0.7 µ(B) (f.u.)(-1). The Gd 4f contribution to the spin moment was determined as 43.4 ± 1.8 µ(B) (f.u.)(-1), the Gd 5d moment as 4.4 ± 0.7 µ(B) (f.u.)(-1) and the Pd 4d spin moment contribution as 2.9 ± 1.1 µ(B) (f.u.)(-1), where f.u. represents a formula unit. At 280 K the total spin moment was 27.3 ± 0.9 µ(B) (f.u.)(-1) with individual contributions determined as a Gd 4f spin moment of 23.8 ± 1.1 µ(B) (f.u.)(-1), a Gd 5d contribution of 2.2 ± 0.5 µ(B) (f.u.)(-1) and a Pd 5d spin moment of 1.2 ± 0.6 µ(B) (f.u.)(-1).