Implicit bias to food and body cues in eating disorders: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Rigid, restrictive eating patterns, fear of gaining weight, body image concerns, but also binge eating episodes with loss of control leading to overweight, at times followed by compensatory measures to control weight, are typical symptoms in eating disorders (EDs). The regulation of food intake in EDs may underlie explicit processes that require cognitive insight and conscious control or be steered by implicit mechanisms that are mostly automatic, rapid, and associated with affective-rather than cognitive-processing. While introspection is not capable of assessing implicit responses, so-called indirect experimental tasks can assess implicit responses underlying a specific behavior by-passing the participant's consciousness. Here, we aimed to present the current evidence regarding studies on implicit biases to food and body cues in patients with EDs. METHODS: We performed a systematic review (PRISMA guidelines). We included controlled studies performed in clinical ED cohorts (vs. healthy control subjects or another control condition, e.g., restrictive vs. binge/purge AN) and using at least one indirect assessment method of interest. RESULTS: Out of 115 screened publications, we identified 29 studies fulfilling the eligibility criteria, and present a synthesis of the essential findings and future directions. CONCLUSION: In this emerging field of research, the present work provides cornerstones of evidence highlighting aspects of implicit regulation in eating disorders. Applying both direct (e.g., self-reports) and indirect measures for the assessment of both explicit and implicit responses is necessary for a comprehensive investigation of the interplay between these different regulatory mechanisms and eating behavior. Targeted training of implicit reactions is already in use and represents a useful future tool as an add-on to standard psychotherapeutic treatments in the battle against eating disorders. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 1 (systematic review).

Locoregional risk assessment after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with primary breast cancer: clinical utility of the CPS + EG score.

PURPOSE: Locoregional control is a prerequisite to cure primary breast cancer but the prediction of locoregional recurrence to guide further local therapy following neoadjuvant chemotherapy remains a challenge. The CPS + EG score was designed to predict distant recurrences. Here we examine its ability to predict both not only distant but also locoregional recurrences with respect to accuracy and clinical applicability. METHODS: Clinical data from 432 patients with primary breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy between 2003 and 2011 were prospectively collected. Using the Kaplan-Meier method we analyzed the risk of local and distant recurrences according to individual CPS + EG scores, stratified by type of surgery. Possible confounding of the relationship between recurrence risk and CPS + EG score by established risk factors was accounted for in multiple survival regression models. Additionally, we analyzed the performance of the CPS + EG score to predict isolated locoregional recurrence by censoring patients with prior or simultaneous distant metastases. RESULTS: 5-year locoregional recurrence-free survival was 90%, and 5-year distant metastases-free survival was 82%. The CPS + EG score stratified patients into six prognostic groups with distinct 5-year locoregional recurrence-free survival, ranging from 100 to 41% (p = 0.02) and 5-year distant metastases-free survival, ranging from 96 to 35% (p < 0.0001). 8 patients (17%) with CPS + EG scores ≥ 4 experienced locoregional recurrence-5 of them presented with simultaneous distant disease. CONCLUSION: The CPS + EG score, originally designed to predict distant relapse, is also valuable for assessing local recurrence risks. Our data demonstrate that distant and locoregional recurrence risks are closely related. As prognosis of patients with high risk of locoregional failure based on CPS + EG is dominated by distant recurrences, escalating local therapies may have limited impact on overall prognosis.

Synthesis of tumor-associated MUC1-glycopeptides and their multivalent presentation by functionalized gold colloids.

The mucin MUC1 is a glycoprotein involved in fundamental biological processes, which can be found over-expressed and with a distinctly altered glycan pattern on epithelial tumor cells; thus it is a promising target structure in the quest for effective carbohydrate-based cancer vaccines and immunotherapeutics. Natural glycopeptide antigens indicate only a low immunogenicity and a T-cell independent immune response; however, this major drawback can be overcome by coupling of glycopeptide antigens multivalently to immunostimulating carrier platforms. In particular, gold nanoparticles are well suited as templates for the multivalent presentation of glycopeptide antigens, due to their remarkably high surface-to-volume ratio in combination with their high biostability. In this work the synthesis of novel MUC1-glycopeptide antigens and their coupling to gold nanoparticles of different sizes are presented. In addition, the development of a new dot-blot immunoassay to test the potential antigen-antibody binding is introduced.

Visual art inspired by climate change-An analysis of audience reactions to 37 artworks presented during 21st UN climate summit in Paris.

This paper suggests and tests a psychological model of environmental art perception and subsequent support for climate change policies. The model is based on findings from art perception and environmental psychology, which indicate that the response of the viewer to the artwork is (1) first an emotional reaction, which can be positive and/or negative. The emotional activation leads to (2) evaluation of the perceived quality of the artwork. This forms the first impression of the artwork the viewer gets, which then triggers (3) reflections on the artwork that are finally related to support for climate policies. The model test uses data collected at the ArtCOP21 that accompanied the 21st UN climate summit in Paris. At 37 connected events, the research team collected 883 audience responses with a brief quantitative paper-pencil questionnaire. The data were analyzed using a multilevel-structural equation modeling approach. Results support the suggested theoretical model. Moreover, the effect of reflections on the artwork on support for climate policies is moderated by environmental attitudes, meaning the lower the environmental attitudes, the higher the effect of reflections on policy support. Finally, artwork features like color, size, displaying something personal, etc., could be identified that had a significant relation to differences on the artwork level regarding the first impression of the artwork and the reflections elicited. The study shows that being confronted with climate change-related artwork relates at least in the short run to increased climate policy support, which is mostly channeled through an emotional activation with following cognitive processing. Features of the artwork relate to how strongly and which emotions are activated.

Two of a Kind? Mapping the Psychopathological Space between Obesity with and without Binge Eating Disorder.

(1) Background: Obesity (OB) is a frequent co-morbidity in Binge Eating Disorder (BED), suggesting that both conditions share phenotypical features along a spectrum of eating-related behaviors. However, the evidence is inconsistent. This study aimed to comprehensively compare OB-BED patients against OB individuals without BED and healthy, normal-weight controls in general psychopathological features, eating-related phenotypes, and early life experiences. (2) Methods: OB-BED patients (n = 37), OB individuals (n = 50), and controls (n = 44) completed a battery of standardized questionnaires. Responses were analyzed using univariate comparisons and dimensionality reduction techniques (linear discriminant analysis, LDA). (3) Results: OB-BED patients showed the highest scores across assessments (e.g., depression, emotional and stress eating, food cravings, food addiction). OB-BED patients did not differ from OB individuals in terms of childhood traumatization or attachment styles. The LDA revealed a two-dimensional solution that distinguished controls from OB and OB-BED in terms of increasing problematic eating behaviors and attitudes, depression, and childhood adversities, as well as OB-BED from OB groups in terms of emotional eating tendencies and self-regulation impairments. (4) Conclusions: Findings support the idea of a shared spectrum of eating-related disorders but also highlight important distinctions relevant to identifying and treating BED in obese patients.

Prediction of local recurrence risk after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with primary breast cancer: Clinical utility of the MD Anderson Prognostic Index.

BACKGROUND: Locoregional recurrence after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for primary breast cancer is associated with poor prognosis. It is essential to identify patients at high risk of locoregional recurrence who may benefit from extended local therapy. Here, we examined the prediction accuracy and clinical applicability of the MD Anderson Prognostic Index (MDAPI). METHODS: Prospective clinical data from 456 patients treated between 2003 and 2011 was analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to examine the probabilities of locoregional recurrence, local recurrence and distant metastases according to individual prognosis score, stratified by type of surgery (breast conserving therapy or mastectomy). The possible confounding of the relationship between recurrence risk and MDAPI by established risk factors was accounted for in multiple survival regression models. To define the clinical utility of the MDAPI we analyzed its performance to predict locoregional recurrence censoring patients with prior or simultaneous distant metastases. RESULTS: Mastectomized patients (42% of the patients) presented with more advanced tumor stage, lower tumor grade, hormone-receptor positive disease and consequently lower pathological complete response rates. Only a few patients presented with high-risk scores (2,7% MDAPI≥3). All patients with high-risk MDAPI score (MDAPI ≥3) who developed locoregional recurrence were simultaneously affected by distant metastases. CONCLUSION: Our data do not support a clinical utility of the MDAPI to guide local therapy.

Qualidade de luz e fitorreguladores na multiplicação e enraizamento in vitro da amoreira-preta 'Xavante' / Light quality and growth regulators on in vitro multiplication and rooting of blackberry 'Xavante'

A técnica de micropropagação apresenta diversas vantagens em relação aos métodos tradicionalmente utilizados na propagação da amoreira-preta, especialmente quanto à maior sanidade das mudas e maior rapidez na obtenção de novas plantas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar a influência dos fitorreguladores 6-benzilaminopurina (BAP) e ácido indolbutírico (AIB), aliados à qualidade de luz, na multiplicação e enraizamento in vitro, respectivamente, da amoreira-preta cultivar 'Xavante'. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi inteiramente casualizado. Os tratamentos constituíram-se de diferentes níveis de qualidade de luz (azul, vermelha, branca e ausência de luz) combinadas com ausência ou presença dos fitorreguladores AIB (0,5mg L-1) e BAP (0,8mg L-1) no meio de cultivo. A utilização de BAP aumenta o número de brotações, gemas e folhas da amoreira-preta 'Xavante' e, dessa forma, é indicada para sua multiplicação in vitro. A utilização de AIB não é necessária no enraizamento in vitro da amoreira-preta 'Xavante', indicando que essa cultivar apresenta bom enraizamento natural.

There are a lot of advantages using micropropagation technique over the methods traditionally used in blackberry propagation especially concerning health of seedlings and speed in getting new plants. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of bioregulators 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and indol-3-butyric acid (IBA) combined with light quality on in vitro multiplication and rooting, respectively, of blackberry 'Xavante'. The experimental design was completely randomized. The treatments consisted of different levels of light quality (blue, red, white and absence of light) combined with the absence or presence of bioregulators IBA (0.5mg L-1) and BAP (0.8mg L-1) in the culture medium. The use of BAP increases the number of new shoots, buds and leaves of blackberry, 'Xavante' and thus is suitable for its in vitro propagation. The use of IBA is not required in in vitro rooting of the blackberry cultivar studied, showing that it is naturally well rooting.