Mental illness and road safety.

INTRODUCTION: Psychiatric disorders, either due to their psychopathology or the drug treatments required, may lead to changes in perception, information processing and integration, and psychomotor activity which may disturb and/or interfere with the ability to drive safely. METHOD: This study assesses competence to drive in a sample of psychiatric outpatients, with a driver's license, who drove regularly. This ability was assessed with the accredited LNDETER 100 battery, an electronic assessment unit measurement, in different clinical situations. RESULTS: Only 24 of the 120 patients passed the four tests required to obtain or renew a driver's license, and 80% failed in at least one of the required tests. None of the patients studied had notified the traffic authorities or the examination centers that they had a psychiatric condition that could affect safe driving. No patient stopped driving, although 10% of them admitted that their ability to drive was somewhat deteriorated. CONCLUSIONS: Psychiatric patients with altered psychomotor performance should be a concern for psychiatrists and general practitioners regarding their competence to drive vehicles. Clinical, ethical and legal aspects of our findings are discussed.

Enfermedad mental y seguridad vial / Mental illness and road safety

Introducción. Los trastornos psiquiátricos, bien por su psicopatología o por los tratamientos farmacológicos que precisan, pueden producir cambios en la percepción, en el procesamiento e integración de la información y en la actividad psicomotora que pueden alterar y/o interferir con la capacidad para una conducción segura. Método. El presente estudio valora la competencia para la conducción de vehículos de una muestra de pacientes psiquiátricos ambulatorios, con licencia de conducir y que conducen asiduamente, que cumplimentaron la batería psicotécnica computarizada homologada LNDETER 100 en diferentes situaciones clínicas. Resultados. De los 120 pacientes estudiados, únicamente 24 superaron las cuatro pruebas requeridas para la concesión o renovación del permiso de conducción, mientras que el 80% fracasó en al menos una de las pruebas exigidas. Ninguno de los participantes en el estudio declaró su enfermedad o su tratamiento a las autoridades de tráfico, ni a los centros de reconocimiento existentes. Ningún paciente dejó de conducir, aunque un 10% de ellos consideró que su capacidad estaba en algún modo deteriorada. Conclusiones. Los pacientes psiquiátricos con un funcionamiento psicomotor alterado deben ser una preocupación para los psiquiatras y médicos generales en precisión de su competencia para la conducción de vehículos. Se discuten las consideraciones clínicas, éticas y legales de los hallazgos del estudio (AU)

Introduction. Psychiatric disorders, either due to their psychopathology or the drug treatments required, may lead to changes in perception, information processing and integration, and psychomotor activity which may disturb and/or interfere with the ability to drive safely. Method. This study assesses competence to drive in a sample of psychiatric outpatients, with a driver's license, who drove regularly. This ability was assessed with the accredited LNDETER 100 battery, an electronic assessment unit measurement, in different clinical situations. Results. Only 24 of the 120 patients passed the four tests required to obtain or renew a driver's license, and 80% failed in at least one of the required tests. None of the patients studied had notified the traffic authorities or the examination centers that they had a psychiatric condition that could affect safe driving. No patient stopped driving, although 10% of them admitted that their ability to drive was somewhat deteriorated. Conclusions. Psychiatric patients with altered psychomotor performance should be a concern for psychiatrists and general practitioners regarding their competence to drive vehicles. Clinical, ethical and legal aspects of our findings are discussed (AU)

Burnout en los profesionales de la atención a las drogodependencias / Burnout in addiction treatment professionals

Objetivo: Aunque el burnout es un tópico popular entre los profesionales de la salud, el desgaste profesional puede afectar a cualquier persona en el desempeño de cualquier actividad laboral y supone un coste personal, organizacional y social importantes. Material y métodos: Se realiza una revisión bibliográfica sobre el tema objeto de estudio. Resultados: A través del presente artículo intentaremos acercarnos a este síndrome, exponiendo sus principales características, así como las variables estudiadas que parecen contribuir en su aparición. Conclusiones: Ya que los sistemas son difíciles de cambiar, las más realistas para la prevención y alivio del síndrome del burnout son las estrategias individuales basadas en el cambio de actitud (AU)

Activation of defence-related genes during senescence: a correlation between gene expression and cellular damage.

The correlation between activation of defence-related gene expression and plant senescence was investigated by evaluating the presence of specific transcripts in various leaves of tobacco senescing plants. Expression of most genes examined was found to be induced shortly after flowering; however, each gene had its own characteristic timing of expression and level of RNA accumulation. Studies of the symptoms developed in senescing leaves responding to bacterial inoculation suggest that the accumulation of defence-related transcripts in these tissues might be related with the mechanism of senescence rather than with protection of the plant against pathogen infection. We observed that the high level of GUS expression directed by the beta-1,3-glucanase gn1 promoter, in senescing leaves of transgenic tobacco plants. decreased after bacterial inoculation, in correlation with the formation of symptoms. Reduction of gene expression was likely to be the reflection of the additional damage caused by the bacteria in the senescent tissues inoculated.

[Psychiatrist's burnout. A survey]. / El desgaste profesional del psiquiatra: resultados de una encuesta entre profesionales.

INTRODUCTION: This work seeks to know the state of the Burnout syndrome among Spanish psychiatrists' with the purpose of having some national reference values. It also sought to elucidate the sociodemographic and work-related variables which can influence the burnout syndrome. METHODS: A survey (which includes sociodemographic, work-related variables and the Maslach Burnout Inventory) is applied to a sample of psychiatrists assisting at the National Congress of Psychiatry held in Valencia. The statistical analysis comprises parametric, non parametric and multivariate methods. RESULTS: The results of the three subscales included in the Maslach Burnout Inventory is offered along their relationship with the sociodemographic and work-related variables studied. The multivariate analysis shows that only the variable sex can influence the probability of obtaining high scores in the depersonalization subscale. CONCLUSIONS: The scores obtained in the three subscales of the of Maslach Burnout Inventory are higher than those published to date. These prior studies were carried out with autonomous samples. The possible relationship of these high scores with the current spanish situation is considered.

alpha-oxidation of fatty acids in higher plants. Identification of a pathogen-inducible oxygenase (piox) as an alpha-dioxygenase and biosynthesis of 2-hydroperoxylinolenic acid.

A pathogen-inducible oxygenase in tobacco leaves and a homologous enzyme from Arabidopsis were recently characterized (Sanz, A., Moreno, J. I., and Castresana, C. (1998) Plant Cell 10, 1523-1537). Linolenic acid incubated at 23 degrees C with preparations containing the recombinant enzymes underwent alpha-oxidation with the formation of a chain-shortened aldehyde, i.e., 8(Z),11(Z), 14(Z)-heptadecatrienal (83%), an alpha-hydroxy acid, 2(R)-hydroxy-9(Z),12(Z),15(Z)-octadecatrienoic acid (15%), and a chain-shortened fatty acid, 8(Z),11(Z),14(Z)-heptadecatrienoic acid (2%). When incubations were performed at 0 degrees C, 2(R)-hydroperoxy-9(Z),12(Z),15(Z)-octadecatrienoic acid was obtained as the main product. An intermediary role of 2(R)-hydroperoxy-9(Z), 12(Z),15(Z)-octadecatrienoic acid in alpha-oxidation was demonstrated by re-incubation experiments, in which the hydroperoxide was converted into the same alpha-oxidation products as those formed from linolenic acid. 2(R)-Hydroperoxy-9(Z),12(Z), 15(Z)-octadecatrienoic acid was chemically unstable and had a half-life time in buffer of about 30 min at 23 degrees C. Extracts of cells expressing the recombinant oxygenases accelerated breakdown of the hydroperoxide (half-life time, about 3 min at 23 degrees C), however, this was not attributable to the recombinant enzymes since the same rate of hydroperoxide degradation was observed in the presence of control cells not expressing the enzymes. No significant discrimination between enantiomers was observed in the degradation of 2(R,S)-hydroperoxy-9(Z)-octadecenoic acid in the presence of recombinant oxygenases. A previously studied system for alpha-oxidation in cucumber was re-examined using the newly developed techniques and was found to catalyze the same conversions as those observed with the recombinant enzymes, i.e. enzymatic alpha-dioxygenation of fatty acids into 2(R)-hydroperoxides and a first order, non-stereoselective degradation of hydroperoxides into alpha-oxidation products. It was concluded that the recombinant enzymes from tobacco and Arabidopsis were both alpha-dioxygenases, and that members of this new class of enzymes catalyze the first step of alpha-oxidation in plant tissue.

PIOX, a new pathogen-induced oxygenase with homology to animal cyclooxygenase.

Changes in gene expression induced in tobacco leaves by the harpin HrpN protein elicitor were examined, and a new cDNA, piox (for pathogen-induced oxygenase), with homology to genes encoding cyclooxygenase or prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase (PGHS), was identified. In addition to the amino acid identity determined, the protein encoded by piox is predicted to have a structural core similar to that of ovine PGHS-1. Moreover, studies of protein functionality demonstrate that the PIOX recombinant protein possesses at least one of the two enzymatic activities of PGHSs, that of catalyzing the oxygenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. piox transcripts accumulated after protein elicitor treatment or inoculation with bacteria. Expression of piox was induced in tissues responding to inoculation with both incompatible and compatible bacteria, but RNA and protein accumulation differed for both types of interactions. We show that expression of piox is rapidly induced in response to various cellular signals mediating plant responses to pathogen infection and that activation of piox expression is most likely related to the oxidative burst that takes place during the cell death processes examined. Cyclooxygenase catalyzes the first committed step in the formation of prostaglandins and thromboxanes, which are lipid-derived signal molecules that mediate many cellular processes, including the immune response in vertebrates. The finding of tobacco PIOX suggests that more similarities than hitherto expected will be found between the lipid-based responses for plant and animal systems.

Characterization of early induced genes in Arabidopsis thaliana responding to bacterial inoculation: identification of centrin and of a novel protein with two regions related to kinase domains.

The early response to bacterial inoculation has been investigated and two Arabidopsis genes, ap3.3a and ap4.3a have been characterized. The AP3.3A protein showed high identity to centrin, a ubiquitous cytoskeletal protein first identified in unicellular green alga. Amino-acid sequence analyses of the AP4.3A protein indicates that the second gene characterized encodes an unusual protein with two putative kinase domains. Expression of ap3.3a and ap4.3a was rapidly induced after pathogen inoculation. A role of ap3.3a in plant defense could be postulated based on its preferential induction during the incompatible interactions analyzed. In contrast, activation of ap4.3a was not specific and could be related to a more general stress response.

Silencing of a beta-1,3-glucanase transgene is overcome during seed formation.

Expression of a beta-1,3-glucanase transgene (gn1) driven by the CaMV 35S promoter is silenced in the T17 homozygous tobacco transgenic line. This silencing process is post-transcriptionally regulated and subject to developmental control. We have examined this phenomenon to investigate the developmental pathways involved in suppression and reactivation of gn1 expression as well as to identify the plant tissues where these processes occur. Analysis of beta-1,3-glucanase activity and gene expression have allowed us to determine that suppression of gn1 is a very efficient process reducing the steady-state gn1 mRNA level, simultaneously, in all leaves of the plant. Gene silencing occurs a few weeks after seed germination, and is maintained throughout vegetative growth and floral development. Expression of gn1 is restored in the maturing fruit some time after fertilization. In situ hybridization analyses show that expression of gn1 is restored within the developing seeds in tissues derived from meiotically divided cells. In contrast to the high level of expression found in seedlings obtained from germinated T17 homozygous seeds, the expression of gn1 is not reactivated in plantlets regenerated in vitro from leaf explants of suppressed T17 homozygous plants that is, in plant tissues obtained by mitotic division. Thus, reactivation of gn1 expression specifically occurs along the developmental programme controlling sexual reproduction and likely throughout epigenetic modifications affecting the state of gene expression during meiosis.

[Stress reactivity and affective psychopathology in health care workers]. / Reactividad al estrés y patología afectiva en personal sanitario.

While the etiology of the affective disorders remain unknown, most believe that interactions between genetic and environmental factors are critical. Stress has been implicated as an important factor related to the onset and progression of affective disorders. Characteristics rendering individuals more or less vulnerable to stress are very important to elucidate and will be relevant to understanding the pathophysiology of affective disorders. Stress reactivity could be one of these individual characteristics since the results of the present paper show a statistically significant correlation between stress reactivity and the affective psychopathology observed.

Differential in vitro DNA binding activity to a promoter element of the gn1 beta-1,3-glucanase gene in hypersensitively reacting tobacco plants.

In a hypersensitive reaction to pathogen infection, expression of the beta-1,3-glucanase gn1 gene is induced in cells surrounding the necrotic lesions. The 5'-flanking sequence of gn1 was examined to investigate the molecular basis controlling activation of gene expression during this plant defense response. Studies on transgenic tobacco plants containing gn1 promoter deletions fused to the beta-glucuronidase reporter gene revealed the presence of negative and positive regulatory sequences mediating both the level and the spatial distribution of gn1 expression. Promoter sequences to -138 bp were sufficient to confer increased gene expression around the necrotic lesions produced in response to Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae inoculation. It is demonstrated by electrophoretic mobility shift assays that nuclear proteins in both healthy and hypersensitively reacting tobacco leaves interact with DNA sequences within the regulatory elements identified. Among the binding sequences characterized, the promoter region extending from -250 to -217 bp contained the DNA motif -GGCGGC- found to be conserved in most if not all promoters of genes encoding pathogenesis-related basic proteins. The activity bound by this promoter sequence was stronger in hypersensitively responding tissues than in healthy untreated tobacco leaves.

[Profile of psychiatric and psychosomatic symptoms in medical students]. / Perfíl de síntomas psiquiátricos y psicosomaticos en estudiantes de medicina.

In this paper the features, pattern profile and frequency of psychiatric and psychosomatic symptomatology of a sample constituted by 40 medical students during the usual academical period--free fron examination--are analyzed. Results suggest that there are no significant differences between the symptomatic patterns of the students of our sample and those belonging to the general population in our context. The Possible role played by stress associated to "examination" in reaching a high level of psychopathology in these students is discussed.

[Symptomatic profile of depression]. / Perfil sintomático de la depresión.

There is no precise documentation about an universal nuclear composition of the depressive syndrome. Moreover, secondary manifestations of depression are even more controversial. In this paper the symptomatic profile of a sample of depressive patients attended in the Hospital Universitario de Canarias is analyzed. The characteristics, profiles and frequencies of the symptomatic pattern are discussed and commented.

Suppression of beta-1,3-glucanase transgene expression in homozygous plants.

A chimeric construct containing the Nicotiana plumbaginifolia beta-1,3-glucanase gn1 gene was introduced into Nicotiana tabacum SR1 to produce high levels of the enzyme constitutively. We determined that the GN1 protein represents a basic beta-1,3-glucanase isoform which accumulates into the vacuoles of the transgenic plants. Analysis of the progeny of the transgenic plant with the highest levels of gn1 expression revealed an unexpected phenomenon of gene suppression. Plants hemizygous for the T-DNA locus contained high levels of gn1 mRNA and exhibited a 14-fold higher beta-1,3-glucanase activity than untransformed plants. However, the expression of gn1 was completely suppressed in the homozygous plants: no corresponding mRNA or protein could be detected. This suppression mechanism occurs at a post-transcriptional level and is under developmental control. In addition, by generating haploid plants we found that this silencing phenomenon is not dependent on allelic interaction between T-DNA copies present at the same locus of homologous chromosomes, but rather is correlated with the transgene dose in the plant genome. We postulate that high doses of GN1 protein relative to the level(s) of other still unknown plant products could trigger the cellular processes directed to suppress gn1 expression.

[Quantification of the stress reactivity in psychiatric patients admitted to an acute care unit]. / Cuantificación de la reactividad al estrés en pacientes psiquiátricos ingresados en una unidad de agudos.

We studied stress reactivity in a sample of 48 psychiatric acute inpatients of a psychiatric ward in a general hospital. Stress Reactivity Questionnaire (IRE-32 items) was used, this instrument supplies an index of the subject's individual response to stressful situations. The mean Stress Reactivity Index of the sample was 13.02 (s.d. 6.31), which is significantly higher than that found by us in general population--9.67 (s.d. 5.47)--and similar to the score obtained by psychiatric outpatients in our Department--13.30 (s.d. 6.07). According to gender, women reached the highest score (13.76). The various scores obtained in the Stress Reactivity Index by the different diagnosis are outlined.

Nucleotide sequence of the genomic RNA of pepper mild mottle virus, a resistance-breaking tobamovirus in pepper.

The entire genomic RNA of a Spanish isolate of pepper mild mottle virus (PMMV-S), a resistance-breaking virus in pepper, was cloned and sequenced and shown to be similar to other tobamoviruses in its genomic organization. It consisted of 6357 nucleotides (nt) and contained four open reading frames (ORFs) which encode a 126K protein and a readthrough 183K protein (nt 70 to 4908), a 28K protein (nt 4909 to 5682) and a 17.5K coat protein (nt 5685 to 6158). This is the first tobamovirus in which none of the ORFs overlap. Both its nucleic acid and predicted protein sequences were compared with the previously determined sequences of other tobamoviruses. The variations and similarities found and their relationship with the pathogenicity of this virus are discussed.

Tissue-specific and pathogen-induced regulation of a Nicotiana plumbaginifolia beta-1,3-glucanase gene.

The Nicotiana plumbaginifolia gn1 gene encoding a beta-1,3-glucanase isoform has been characterized. The gn1 product represents an isoform distinct from the previously identified tobacco beta-1,3-glucanases. By expressing gn1 in Escherichia coli, we have determined directly that the encoded protein does, indeed, correspond to a beta-1,3-glucanase. In N. plumbaginifolia, gn1 was found to be expressed in roots and older leaves. Transgenic tobacco plants containing the 5'-noncoding region of gn1 fused to the beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene also showed maximum levels of GUS activity in roots and older leaves. No detectable activity was present in the upper part of the transgenic plants with the exception of stem cells at the bases of emerging shoots. The expression conferred by the gn1 promoter was differentially induced in response to specific plant stress treatments. Studies of three plant-bacteria interactions showed high levels of GUS activity when infection resulted in a hypersensitive reaction. Increased gene expression was confined to cells surrounding the necrotic lesions. The observed expression pattern suggests that the characterized beta-1,3-glucanase plays a role both in plant development and in the defense response against pathogen infection.

[A comparative psychopathologic study of university students]. / Estudio psicopatológico comparativo en estudiantes universitarios.

We present here the results of GHQ-28 items in its spanish version in a sample of 50 university students in examination period. The mean total score was 8.20. We observed a higher mean total score in medical students (9.40) than in students of other careers (7.00), which indicates greater psychopathology in medical students. This fact is corroborated by the higher scores obtained in etch scale.