Psychology

Classification Discrepancies in Two Intelligence Tests: Forensic Implications for Persons with Developmental Disabilities Authors: Cavagnaro, AT; Shuster, S; Colwell, K Source: *JOURNAL OF FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY PRACTICE*, 13 (1):49-67; JAN 1 2013 Abstract: Accurate measurement of intellectual abilities of adults with developmental disabilities impacts key legal issues, including adjudicative competence, civil commitment, and death penalty litigation. This research compared standardized measures of intelligence in a multicultural sample of adults with developmental disabilities. Within subjects ANOVA revealed significantly higher Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition IQs compared to Wide Range Intelligence Test (WRIT) IQs, with a median difference of 13.0 points. Underestimates provided by the WRIT could lead to adverse legal decisions, including exacerbation of malingered cognitive dysfunction cases and permitting individuals guilty of criminal acts to escape sentences. Policy implications exist for the methodology of intellectual assessment given that instruments yield discrepancies. We suggest utilizing standardized measures with strong psychometric integrity in Atkins hearings and incorporating relevant collateral information when generating clinical case formulations. This will give clinicians additional relevant data and afford greater precision in forming clinical judgments regarding diagnosis and cognitive level in forensic cases.

A recent study shows that cognitive behavioral therapy and an Internet-based cognitive bias method both work to reduce social anxiety in adolescents....

This guest article from YourTango was written by Jamie (Simkins) Rogers. I’ve been feeling nostalgic since the recent death of Dr. Joyce Brothers the other week. I grew up watching Brothers on shows like Donahue and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson while my grandmother crocheted afghans beside me. I knew I wanted to be a therapist from a very young age, having analyzed my own familial relationships ad nauseum (I was a weird kid). Back then, I loved Dr. Brothers’ wit, grace, class and charm. Today, I respect her as the rarity she was during her prime: an accomplished female in the field of psychology. Dr. Brothers paved the way for women like me, and her extensive media exposure did not detract from her credibility — another rarity in the media machine known for exalting experts to guru status only to eventually chew them up and spit them out. No, Dr. Brothers had staying power because of her enduring wisdom. And I believe her wisdom endured because of its inherent simplicity. Below are three quotes that have had the most impact on my work as a therapist: 1. “Trust your hunches. They’re usually based on facts filed away just below the conscious level.” Often clients in crisis look to me for answers, but my belief is that each of us is an expert of our own lives. I think Dr. Brothers would have agreed that nature gave us hunches for a reason: to guide us. I regularly respond to clients’ questions with another question: “What does your gut tell you?” The answer may not readily surface because hunches are not always initially clear. Sometimes it takes a quieting of the mind and body before we can check in and feel what our “guts” are trying to tell us. Much of my work as a therapist involves first teaching clients how to slow down and get in touch with their hunches, and then offering support as they find the courage to follow those hunches. 2. “Listening — not imitation — may be the sincerest form of flattery.” Think about the last time someone really listened to you. Do you remember how good it felt to finally be heard? That’s because when someone listens to us, we feel like we matter. And that feels better than flattery! I take Dr. Brothers’ simple wisdom into my work with couples by modeling and teaching listening skills.  Relationships often vastly improve when people begin to really listen, because it lifts the burden of emotion, decreases stress, dissolves defensiveness, increases clarity and fosters connection. 3. ”Anger repressed can poison a relationship as surely as the cruelest words.” What I’ve come to learn thanks to the work of Dr. Brothers is that repressed anger does not equal invisible anger. We may think we’re doing a good job of repressing our anger, but a closer look often reveals otherwise. If anger is not properly addressed and released, it has a way of “coming out sideways.” In other words, anger (and its underlying emotions) can seep out in behaviors such as addiction, persistent sarcasm, promiscuity or bullying — to name just a few. Repressed anger can also manifest as physical health issues like chronic back pain or a weakened immune system. I often say it like this to my clients, “Anger will find its own way if we don’t make a way.” It’s much better for our own health and for the health of our relationships if we acknowledge our anger, identify its roots, and then create healthier outlets for that anger.

by Jessica A. Shugart, Shelly Bambina, Alejandro F. Alice, Ryan Montler, Keith S. Bahjat The ability of memory CD8+ T cells to rapidly proliferate and acquire cytolytic activity is critical for protective immunity against intracellular pathogens. The signals that control this recall response remain unclear. We show that CD40L production by memory CD8+ T cells themselves is an essential catalyst for secondary expansion when systemic inflammation is limited. Secondary immunization accompanied by high levels of systemic inflammation results in CD8+ T cell secondary expansion independent of CD4+ T cells and CD40-CD40L signaling. Conversely, when the inflammatory response is limited, memory CD8+ T cell secondary expansion requires CD40L-producing cells, and memory CD8+ T cells can provide this signal. These results demonstrate that vaccination regimens differ in their dependence on CD40L-expressing CD8+ T cells for secondary expansion, and propose that CD40L-expression by CD8+ T cells is a fail-safe mechanism that can promote memory CD8+ T cell secondary expansion when inflammation is limited.

by Mar Masiá, Catalina Robledano, Victoria Ortiz de la Tabla, Pedro Antequera, Natividad López, Félix Gutiérrez Objective We investigated the relationship of the Herpesviridiae with inflammation and subclinical atherosclerosis in HIV-infected patients. Methods Prospective study including virologically suppressed HIV-infected patients. IgG antibodies against herpesviruses, carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), endothelial function through flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery, and blood atherosclerosis biomarkers (hsCRP, TNF-?, IL-6, MCP-1, MDA, sCD14, sCD163, VCAM-1, ICAM-1, D-dimer, and PAI-1) were measured. Results 136 patients with HIV viral load Conclusion In virologically suppressed HIV-infected patients, antibody responses against herpesviruses are associated with subclinical atherosclerosis, and with increased inflammation and coagulation biomarkers.

by Niv Pencovich, Ram Jaschek, Joseph Dicken, Ayelet Amit, Joseph Lotem, Amos Tanay, Yoram Groner RUNX1 transcription factor (TF) is a key regulator of megakaryocytic development and when mutated is associated with familial platelet disorder and predisposition to acute myeloid leukemia (FPD-AML). We used mice lacking Runx1 specifically in megakaryocytes (MK) to characterized Runx1-mediated transcriptional program during advanced stages of MK differentiation. Gene expression and chromatin-immunoprecipitation-sequencing (ChIP-seq) of Runx1 and p300 identified functional Runx1 bound MK enhancers. Runx1/p300 co-bound regions showed significant enrichment in genes important for MK and platelet homeostasis. Runx1 occupied genomic regions were highly enriched in RUNX and ETS motifs and to a lesser extent in GATA motif. Megakaryocytic specificity of Runx1/P300 bound enhancers was validated by transfection mutagenesis and Runx1/P300 co-bound regions of two key megakaryocytic genes Nfe2 and Selp were tested by in vivo transgenesis. The data provides the first example of genome wide Runx1/p300 occupancy in maturating primary FL-MK, unravel the Runx1-regulated program controlling MK maturation in vivo and identify a subset of its bona fide regulated genes. It advances our understanding of the molecular events that upon RUNX1mutations in human lead to the predisposition to familial platelet disorders and FPD-AML.

by Steven W. Purcell, Natacha S. Agudo Mariculture of tropical sea cucumbers is promising, but the nursery rearing of juveniles is a bottleneck for farming and sea ranching. We conducted four medium-scale experiments lasting 3–6 weeks, using thousands of cultured juvenile sandfish Holothuria scabra, to optimise nursery rearing in mesh enclosures in earthen seawater ponds and to test rearing in enclosures in the sea. In one experiment, survival in fine-mesh enclosures (1 m3; 660-µm mesh) related nonlinearly to juvenile size, revealing a threshold body length of 5–8 mm for initial transfer from hatchery tanks. Survival in enclosures within ponds in the other experiments ranged from 78–97%, and differences in growth rates among experiments were explained largely by seasonal differences in seawater temperatures in ponds. Stripped shadecloth units within fine-mesh enclosures increased feeding surfaces and improved growth rates by >15%. On the other hand, shading over the enclosures may lower growth rates. Following the rearing in fine-mesh enclosures, small juveniles (0.5 to 1 g) were grown to stocking size (3–10 g) in coarse-mesh enclosures of 1-mm mesh. Sand or mud added to coarse-mesh enclosures did not significantly improve growth compared to controls without sediment. Survival of sandfish juveniles in coarse-mesh enclosures set on the benthos within seagrass beds differed between two sheltered bays and growth was slow compared to groups within the same type of enclosures in an earthen pond. Our findings should lead to significant improvement in the cost-effectiveness of rearing sandfish juveniles to a stocking size compared to established methods and highlight the need for further research into nursery systems in the sea.

by Jeremy Goecks, Nathan T. Mortimer, James A. Mobley, Gregory J. Bowersock, James Taylor, Todd A. Schlenke The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and its endoparasitoid wasps are a developing model system for interactions between host immune responses and parasite virulence mechanisms. In this system, wasps use diverse venom cocktails to suppress the conserved fly cellular encapsulation response. Although numerous genetic tools allow detailed characterization of fly immune genes, lack of wasp genomic information has hindered characterization of the parasite side of the interaction. Here, we use high-throughput nucleic acid and amino acid sequencing methods to describe the venoms of two related Drosophila endoparasitoids with distinct infection strategies, Leptopilina boulardi and L. heterotoma. Using RNA-seq, we assembled and quantified libraries of transcript sequences from female wasp abdomens. Next, we used mass spectrometry to sequence peptides derived from dissected venom gland lumens. We then mapped the peptide spectral data against the abdomen transcriptomes to identify a set of putative venom genes for each wasp species. Our approach captured the three venom genes previously characterized in L. boulardi by traditional cDNA cloning methods as well as numerous new venom genes that were subsequently validated by a combination of RT-PCR, blast comparisons, and secretion signal sequence search. Overall, 129 proteins were found to comprise L. boulardi venom and 176 proteins were found to comprise L. heterotoma venom. We found significant overlap in L. boulardi and L. heterotoma venom composition but also distinct differences that may underlie their unique infection strategies. Our joint transcriptomic-proteomic approach for endoparasitoid wasp venoms is generally applicable to identification of functional protein subsets from any non-genome sequenced organism.

by Alan Karthikesalingam, Peter J. E. Holt, Benjamin O. Patterson, Alberto Vidal-Diez, Giuseppe Sollazzo, Jan D. Poloniecki, Robert J. Hinchliffe, Matthew M. Thompson Background Open surgery is widely used as a benchmark for the results of fenestrated endovascular repair of complex abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). However, the existing evidence stems from single-centre experiences, and may not be reproducible in wider practice. National outcomes provide valuable information regarding the safety of suprarenal aneurysm repair. Methods Demographic and clinical data were extracted from English Hospital Episodes Statistics for patients undergoing elective suprarenal aneurysm repair from 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2010. Thirty-day mortality and five-year survival were analysed by logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards modeling. Results 793 patients underwent surgery with 14% overall 30-day mortality, which did not improve over the study period. Independent predictors of 30-day mortality included age, renal disease and previous myocardial infarction. 5-year survival was independently reduced by age, renal disease, liver disease, chronic pulmonary disease, and known metastatic solid tumour. There was significant regional variation in both 30-day mortality and 5-year survival after risk-adjustment. Regional differences in outcome were eliminated in a sensitivity analysis for perioperative outcome, conducted by restricting analysis to survivors of the first 30 days after surgery. Conclusions Elective suprarenal aneurysm repair was associated with considerable mortality and significant regional variation across England. These data provide a benchmark to assess the efficacy of complex endovascular repair of supra-renal aneurysms, though cautious interpretation is required due to the lack of information regarding aneurysm morphology. More detailed study is required, ideally through the mandatory submission of data to a national registry of suprarenal aneurysm repair.

by Osama Mohamad, Danielle Drury-Stewart, Mingke Song, Ben Faulkner, Dongdong Chen, Shan Ping Yu, Ling Wei Stroke is a leading cause of human death and disability in the adult population in the United States and around the world. While stroke treatment is limited, stem cell transplantation has emerged as a promising regenerative therapy to replace or repair damaged tissues and enhance functional recovery after stroke. Recently, the creation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells through reprogramming of somatic cells has revolutionized cell therapy by providing an unlimited source of autologous cells for transplantation. In addition, the creation of vector-free and transgene-free human iPS (hiPS) cells provides a new generation of stem cells with a reduced risk of tumor formation that was associated with the random integration of viral vectors seen with previous techniques. However, the potential use of these cells in the treatment of ischemic stroke has not been explored. In the present investigation, we examined the neuronal differentiation of vector-free and transgene-free hiPS cells and the transplantation of hiPS cell-derived neural progenitor cells (hiPS-NPCs) in an ischemic stroke model in mice. Vector-free hiPS cells were maintained in feeder-free and serum-free conditions and differentiated into functional neurons in vitro using a newly developed differentiation protocol. Twenty eight days after transplantation in stroke mice, hiPS-NPCs showed mature neuronal markers in vivo. No tumor formation was seen up to 12 months after transplantation. Transplantation of hiPS-NPCs restored neurovascular coupling, increased trophic support and promoted behavioral recovery after stroke. These data suggest that using vector-free and transgene-free hiPS cells in stem cell therapy are safe and efficacious in enhancing recovery after focal ischemic stroke in mice.