[Measuring impairment of facial affects recognition in schizophrenia. Preliminary study of the facial emotions recognition task (TREF)]. / Mesure du déficit de reconnaissance des émotions faciales dans la schizophrénie. Étude préliminaire du test de reconnaissance des émotions faciales (TREF).

INTRODUCTION: The impairment of social cognition, including facial affects recognition, is a well-established trait in schizophrenia, and specific cognitive remediation programs focusing on facial affects recognition have been developed by different teams worldwide. However, even though social cognitive impairments have been confirmed, previous studies have also shown heterogeneity of the results between different subjects. Therefore, assessment of personal abilities should be measured individually before proposing such programs. PURPOSE: Most research teams apply tasks based on facial affects recognition by Ekman et al. or Gur et al. However, these tasks are not easily applicable in a clinical exercise. Here, we present the Facial Emotions Recognition Test (TREF), which is designed to identify facial affects recognition impairments in a clinical practice. The test is composed of 54 photos and evaluates abilities in the recognition of six universal emotions (joy, anger, sadness, fear, disgust and contempt). Each of these emotions is represented with colored photos of 4 different models (two men and two women) at nine intensity levels from 20 to 100%. Each photo is presented during 10 seconds; no time limit for responding is applied. METHOD: The present study compared the scores of the TREF test in a sample of healthy controls (64 subjects) and people with stabilized schizophrenia (45 subjects) according to the DSM IV-TR criteria. We analysed global scores for all emotions, as well as sub scores for each emotion between these two groups, taking into account gender differences. Our results were coherent with previous findings. Applying TREF, we confirmed an impairment in facial affects recognition in schizophrenia by showing significant differences between the two groups in their global results (76.45% for healthy controls versus 61.28% for people with schizophrenia), as well as in sub scores for each emotion except for joy. Scores for women were significantly higher than for men in the population without psychiatric diagnosis. The study also allowed the identification of cut-off scores; results below 2 standard deviations of the healthy control average (61.57%) pointed to a facial affect recognition deficit. CONCLUSION: The TREF appears to be a useful tool to identify facial affects recognition impairment in schizophrenia. Neuropsychologists, who have tried this task, have positive feedback. The TREF is easy to use (duration of about 15 minutes), easy to apply in subjects with attentional difficulties, and tests facial affects recognition at ecological intensity levels. These results have to be confirmed in the future with larger sample sizes, and in comparison with other tasks, evaluating the facial affects recognition processes.

Evidence against a major role of plasmalogens in the resistance of astrocytes in lactic acid-induced oxidative stress in vitro.

Astrocytes are known to play a key role in buffering extracellular pH variations and, in addition, they are particularly resistant to oxidative stress and subsequent lipid peroxidation. This great resistance may be ascribed to the presence of high concentrations of certain antioxidants, but another explanation may be the presence of a high quantity of plasmalogens, which are a special group of glycerophospholipids characterized by a vinyl ether bond instead of an ester bond in the sn-1 position of the glycerol backbone. Plasmalogens are sensitive to free radical attack and acidity, and numerous works have supported the hypothesis that they may be antioxidant molecules that protect cells from oxidative stress. The aim of this work was to investigate, on astrocytes in lactic acid-induced oxidative stress (pH 5.5), the behavior of phospholipids and, in particular, plasmalogens. Two main techniques, based on the susceptibility of the vinyl ether bond to hydrolysis, were employed in this study to measure plasmalogen levels. In both cases, the sn-1 vinyl ether linkage was cleaved using mercuric chloride, producing a lysophospholipid that was assessed by phosphorus measurement or using HCl treatment, producing a long-chain fatty aldehyde assayed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. On astrocytes in culture, only plasmenylethanolamine (PlmEtn) was evidenced, representing 40% of glycerophosphoethanolamine lipids. When astrocytes were incubated with lactic acid, no modification in the amount of PlmEtn was seen. Furthermore, free aldehydes and aldehydes corresponding to the quantity of intact plasmalogens were similar to those observed on controls. In addition, the constancy of two lipid peroxidation markers, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and polyunsaturated fatty acids, was clear evidence of the resistance of these cells in lactic acid conditions. In conclusion, our results fail to demonstrate a major role of plasmalogens in the resistance of astrocytes in lactic acid-induced oxidative stress.

When the smile is a cue to familiarity.

The question discussed in the two following experiments concerns the effect of facial expressions on face recognition. Famous and unknown faces with neutral or smiling expression were presented for different inspection durations (15 ms vs 1000 ms). Subjects had to categorize these faces as famous or unknown (Experiment 1), or estimate their degree of familiarity on a rating scale (Experiment 2). Results showed that the smile increased ratings of familiarity for unfamiliar faces (Experiments 1 and 2) and for famous faces (Experiment 2). These data are discussed in the framework of current face-recognition models and are interpreted in terms of social value of the smile. It is proposed that the smiling bias found here acts at the level of the decision process.

Constitutive nitric oxide synthase is present in normal human keratinocytes.

Normal human keratinocytes in culture exhibit a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity ranging from 50 to 150 pmol/min/mg of protein. The enzyme is cytosolic and requires the presence of calcium, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, reduced form (NADPH), and flavin adenine dinucleotide. Calmodulin antagonists (trifluoperazine and calmidazolium) inhibit the enzyme activity. We show that NG-nitro-L-arginine inhibits NOS more potently than NG-monomethyl-L-arginine and that L-canavanine is a weak inhibitor. NOS was partially purified using a 2',5'-ADP Sepharose affinity column eluted with NADPH. A partially purified fraction was analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electro-phoresis and Western blotting. A protein with an apparent molecular weight of 152 kDa cross-reacted with monoclonal antibodies raised against the neuronal constitutive isoform of NOS. The enzyme had a Vmax of 7.3 nmol/min/mg of protein and a Km for L-arginine of 22.3 microM. These results indicate that normal human keratinocytes contain a constitutive nitric oxide synthase related to NOS I.

Biomedical experimentation on the mentally handicapped: ethical and legal dilemmas.

The responses of various national legislations to experiments carried out on persons mentally incapable of consenting to experimentation reveal the extent of the ethical dilemmas as regards experimentation on the mentally handicapped. Future decisions will have to be governed by extremely careful guidelines.

The radiological report: what is useful for the referring physician?

To assess what constitutes a useful radiological report for referring physicians, we sent a questionnaire to 200 doctors (general practitioners, internists, and surgeons). Questions testing style, length of the report, and several points of content, including mention of clinical correlation, negative findings, and sequence of further investigations, were included. The principal qualities useful to the clinician were clarity, brevity, and clinical correlation. Advice on planning of future investigations was especially valued by general practitioners.

Cessation of treatment and suicide: a proposal for reform.

The present state of the law in relation to dying persons is in a state of uncertainty primarily because there has not yet been a clear jurisprudential indication of the meaning to be given to a certain number of sections of the Canadian Criminal Code dealing with the subject. I propose to briefly discuss the law as it now exists and to refer to a working paper (No. 28) of the Law Reform Commission of canada called "Euthanasia, Aiding Suicide and Cessation of Treatment".

[Diffuse interstitial pulmonary fibrosis. Responsibility of hard metals]. / Fibrose pulmonaire interstitielle diffuse Responsabilité des métaux durs

In a factory processing Tungsten carbide and hard metals, of a hundred exposed workers, 15 showed signs of "irritation" which progressed in 5 to clinical, radiological and functional pulmonary fibrosis with altered CO transport. In one patient histological sections were studied and typical findings of dust inclusion seen. Diffuse interstitial fibrosis related to heavy metals is still not yet recognised as an industrial disease in France.