Do animals dream?

The understanding of biological functions of sleep has improved recently, including an understanding of the deep evolutionary roots of sleep among animals. However, dreaming as an element of sleep may be particularly difficult to address in non-human animals because in humans dreaming involves a non-wakeful form of awareness typically identified through verbal report. Here, we argue that parallels that exist between the phenomenology, physiology, and sleep behaviors during human dreaming provide an avenue to investigate dreaming in non-human animals. We review three alternative measurements of human dreaming - neural correlates of dreaming, 'replay' of newly-acquired memories, and dream-enacting behaviors - and consider how these may be applied to non-human animal models. We suggest that while animals close in brain structure to humans (such as mammals and birds) may be optimal models for the first two of these measurements, cephalopods, especially octopuses, may be particularly good candidates for the third.

An adaptive randomized trial of dialectical behavior therapy and cognitive behavior therapy for binge-eating.

BACKGROUND: Early weak treatment response is one of the few trans-diagnostic, treatment-agnostic predictors of poor outcome following a full treatment course. We sought to improve the outcome of clients with weak initial response to guided self-help cognitive behavior therapy (GSH). METHOD: One hundred and nine women with binge-eating disorder (BED) or bulimia nervosa (BN) (DSM-IV-TR) received 4 weeks of GSH. Based on their response, they were grouped into: (1) early strong responders who continued GSH (cGSH), and early weak responders randomized to (2) dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), or (3) individual and additional group cognitive behavior therapy (CBT+). RESULTS: Baseline objective binge-eating-day (OBD) frequency was similar between DBT, CBT+ and cGSH. During treatment, OBD frequency reduction was significantly slower in DBT and CBT+ relative to cGSH. Relative to cGSH, OBD frequency was significantly greater at the end of DBT (d = 0.27) and CBT+ (d = 0.31) although these effects were small and within-treatment effects from baseline were large (d = 1.41, 0.95, 1.11, respectively). OBD improvements significantly diminished in all groups during 12 months follow-up but were significantly better sustained in DBT relative to cGSH (d = -0.43). At 6- and 12-month follow-up assessments, DBT, CBT and cGSH did not differ in OBD. CONCLUSIONS: Early weak response to GSH may be overcome by additional intensive treatment. Evidence was insufficient to support superiority of either DBT or CBT+ for early weak responders relative to early strong responders in cGSH; both were helpful. Future studies using adaptive designs are needed to assess the use of early response to efficiently deliver care to large heterogeneous client groups.

Oxygen use for chest pain in coronary care units across the UK.

AIM: To quantify the adherence to national guidance for the use of oxygen in patients presenting with chest pain to coronary care units (CCUs) across the UK. DESIGN: Prospective survey. METHODS: A total of 307 hospitals were contacted by telephone between August 2010 and October 2010. Of these, 48 had no CCUs, 10 units refused to take part and 18 hospitals were contacted on 2 occasions but were unable to provide the information due to paucity of time owing to heavy clinical workload. Overall 231 hospitals participated in the audit questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 30% of the units used oxygen titrated to saturations in accordance with national guidelines. There was no difference between units that had on-site availability of percutaneous coronary intervention and those that did not. Those hospitals where there was a policy for routine oxygen prescription were as unlikely to comply with the guidelines on oxygen use as hospitals where oxygen was not routinely prescribed. CONCLUSION: Only one-third of CCUs in the UK reported adherence to guidelines with regards to oxygen delivery in patients presenting with chest pain. Despite this figure seeming rather low, this is consistent with practice through a range of specialties and guidelines. The evidence base for the oxygen guidance remains insecure. Additional research is required but in the meantime we recommend oxygen is prescribed according to current guidelines.

Correlates of suicidal ideation and/or behavior in bariatric-surgery-seeking individuals with severe obesity.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 10% of severely obese bariatric-surgery-seeking individuals report a lifetime history of suicide attempts, a higher rate than in the general community. Being overweight is associated with weight-related stigma, making an individual more vulnerable to social isolation, a potential risk factor for suicidal ideation and/or behavior. AIMS: In this cross-sectional study of surgery-seeking adults with severe obesity, we examined whether weight-related stigma increases (1) the likelihood of suicidal ideation and/or behavior or (2) the degree of loneliness; and whether hypotheses (1) and (2) are supported (3) if loneliness mediates the effect of weight-related stigma on suicidal ideation and/or behavior. METHODS: Online questionnaires were administered to 301 women and 95 men seeking bariatric surgery. RESULTS: Approximately 30.3% reported having at least a passing thought of suicide, and 5.55% a suicide attempt during their lifetime. The suicide attempt rate appears lower than other bariatric surgery samples, but possibly higher than community and other surgery sample rates. For severely obese surgery-seeking women, weight-related stigma was associated with suicidal ideation and/or behavior, though this was not mediated by loneliness. CONCLUSIONS: Future studies are needed to model and compare suicidal ideation and/or behavior in bariatric-surgery-seeking individuals and control groups.

A case of lymphomatoid granulomatosis masquerading as a lung abscess.

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis (LG) is a rare T cell rich, B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma which is difficult to diagnose. We present a patient with LG who demonstrated many of the difficulties in diagnosis and highlighted the importance of reviewing the diagnosis if treatment does not have the anticipated effect.

Clinical outcome after acquisition of Burkholderia cepacia in patients with cystic fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF). The significance of Burkholderia cepacia (B. cepacia) in the pathogenesis of lung disease in CF is debated, but its exact role remains unclear. AIM: To assess the impact of respiratory tract colonisation with B. cepacia in patients with CF by measuring changes in pulmonary function and body mass index (BMI). METHODS: Three groups of patients were defined based on sputum culture isolates: Group 1 were B. cepacia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) positive patients; Group 2 were P. aeruginosa positive; and Group 3 were colonised with neither organism. Forced expiratory volume (FEV) and BMI were measured annually from 1987 to 1995 and the year of acquisition of P. aeruginosa or B. cepacia was recorded. RESULTS: The mean annual decrease in FEV1 was significantly different in all three groups: Group 1, -5.4 (5.1)%; Group 2, -3.9 (6.5)%; and Group 3, -1.6 (1.0)%, (p<0.05). The mean percentage decrease in FEV1 of a sub-group of Group 1 patients where the B. cepacia acquisition date was known was 6.1% per year versus 1.55% in Group 2 patients (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Acquisition of B. cepacia may be a cause of, rather than a marker for, a decrease in pulmonary function.

Total energy expenditure in stable patients with cystic fibrosis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Undernutrition is a common problem in patients with cystic fibrosis and is associated with a poor prognosis. The two aims of this study were to assess and compare the two main field techniques in the measurement of total energy expenditure and, secondly, to assess total energy expenditure in stable patients and compare with healthy controls. METHODS: Resting energy expenditure was measured using indirect calorimetry and total energy expenditure was measured using 24-h heart rate (HR) methodology and doubly isotopically labelled water. RESULTS: Seventeen patients, mean age 23 years and FEV(1)52% predicted and thirteen controls were recruited. Resting energy expenditure was higher in patients 0.24 (0.03) MJ/kg Fat-Free Mass (FFM) compared to controls 0.22 (0.02) MJ/kg FFM, P=0.02. Twenty-four hour heart rate underestimated total energy expenditure, 9.49 (1.85) MJ/day in patients compared to 11.69 (2.79) MJ/day using doubly labelled water. There was no difference in total energy expenditure in patients and controls using both methods, 11.69 (2.79) MJ/day compared to 11.38 (2.71) MJ/day using doubly isotopically labelled water. CONCLUSIONS: In clinically stable young adult patients with moderately severe respiratory disease total energy expenditure is comparable to that an a control population despite in increase in resting energy expenditure and both 24-h HR and doubly isotopically labelled water are suitable for use in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Sympathetic and parasympathetic interaction in vascular and secretory control of salivary glands in anaesthetised dogs.

The present study was undertaken to examine sympathetic-parasympathetic interactions in the regulation of salivary gland function, with special reference to the possible role of the sympathetic cotransmitter neuropeptide Y (NPY). In dogs anaesthetised with pentobarbitone, electrical stimulation of the parasympathetic nerve to the submandibular gland evoked an increase in glandular blood flow and salivary secretion. Sympathetic nerve stimulation evoked a significant prolonged attenuation of vasodilator and secretory responses to subsequent parasympathetic stimulation. This attenuation was not significantly altered by alpha- and beta-adrenoceptor blockade. Systemic administration of the sympathetic cotransmitter, NPY, mimicked the effect of the sympathetic stimulation by significantly attenuating vasodilatation and salivary secretion. The NPY Y1 receptor agonist, [Leu31, Pro34]NPY and the specific NPY Y2 receptor agonist N-acetyl[Leu28, Leu31]NPY 24-36 both significantly attenuated the vasodilatation and salivary secretion evoked by stimulation of the parasympathetic nerve. The NPY Y1 receptor antagonist, GR231118 significantly antagonised the attenuation of vasodilatation caused by both sympathetic stimulation and the NPY Y1 receptor agonist. GR231118 also inhibited the pressor response of NPY. Intra-arterial injection of methacholine and stimulation of the parasympathetic nerve both caused local vasodilatation in the gland which was significantly attenuated by pretreatment with sympathetic stimulation or the NPY Y1 agonist. The NPY Y2-specific agonist did not attenuate methacholine-induced vasodilatation but did attenuate vasodilatation evoked by parasympathetic stimulation. The results indicate that NPY as a sympathetic cotransmitter may have a role in the regulation of vascular secretory function of salivary glands.

Clinical features associated with a delayed diagnosis of cystic fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: The majority of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) are diagnosed in the first decade of life. In a small number of patients, the diagnosis is not made until later. OBJECTIVE: In this study, the clinical and genetic features of patients diagnosed after the age of 10 were examined. METHODS: All living patients in Northern Ireland diagnosed prior to 1983, when neonatal screening was introduced, were studied. A total of 103 patients were identified of whom 18 were diagnosed after the age of 10. The relationships between late diagnosis and clinical presentation, sputum microbiology, pancreatic sufficiency, nutritional status, genotype and distance from the regional CF centres was determined by multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: All 18 late-diagnosed patients had a sweat (chloride >70 mmol/l). Late diagnosis was significantly related to carriage of the R117H mutation (r(2) = 0.45) and pancreatic sufficiency (r(2) = 0.37). There was a weak relationship with pulmonary function (r(2) = 0.09). CONCLUSIONS: In Northern Ireland, late diagnosis in mainly associated with pancreatic function and carriage of the R117H mutation.

Attention-referenced visual representations: evidence from impaired visual localization.

Spatial representations in the visual system were probed in 4 experiments involving A. H., a woman with a developmental deficit in localizing visual stimuli. Previous research (M. McCloskey et al., 1995) has shown that A. H.'s localization errors take the form of reflections across a central vertical or horizontal axis (e.g., a stimulus 30 degrees to her left localized to a position 30 degrees to her right). The present experiments demonstrate that A. H.'s errors vary systematically as a function of where her attention is focused, independent of how her eyes, head, or body are oriented, or what potential reference points are present in the visual field. These results suggest that the normal visual system constructs attention-referenced spatial representations, in which the focus of attention defines the origin of a spatial coordinate system. A more general implication is that some of the brain's spatial representations take the form of coordinate systems.

The industry manipulation attitudes of smokers and nonsmokers.

A cross-sectional random sample was obtained of Florida youth between the ages of 12-17. Data were collected through a telephone survey after obtaining parent and child consent. Industry manipulation attitudes of three groups (self-identified nonsmokers who did not use cigarettes in the past 30 days, self-identified nonsmokers who used cigarettes in the past 30 days, and self-identified smokers who used cigarettes in the past 30 days) were compared. Constraints resulting from the method of data collection resulted in a conservative estimate of the strength of the association between industry manipulation attitudes and smoking behavior.

Potentiation of Fcepsilon receptor I-activated Ca(2+) current (I(CRAC)) by cholera toxin: possible mediation by ADP ribosylation factor.

Antigen-evoked influx of extracellular Ca(2+) into mast cells may occur via store-operated Ca(2+) channels called calcium release-activated calcium (CRAC) channels. In mast cells of the rat basophilic leukemia cell line (RBL-2H3), cholera toxin (CT) potentiates antigen-driven uptake of (45)Ca(2+) through cAMP-independent means. Here, we have used perforated patch clamp recording at physiological temperature to test whether cholera toxin or its substrate, Gs, directly modulates the activity of CRAC channels. Cholera toxin dramatically amplified (two- to fourfold) the Ca(2)+ release-activated Ca(2+) current (I(CRAC)) elicited by suboptimal concentrations of antigen, without itself inducing I(CRAC), and this enhancement was not mimicked by cAMP elevation. In contrast, cholera toxin did not affect the induction of I(CRAC) by thapsigargin, an inhibitor of organelle Ca(2+) pumps, or by intracellular dialysis with low Ca(2+) pipette solutions. Thus, the activity of CRAC channels is not directly controlled by cholera toxin or Gsalpha. Nor was the potentiation of I(CRAC) due to enhancement of phosphoinositide hydrolysis or calcium release. Because Gs and the A subunit of cholera toxin bind to ADP ribosylation factor (ARF) and could modulate its activity, we tested the sensitivity of antigen-evoked I(CRAC) to brefeldin A, an inhibitor of ARF-dependent functions, including vesicle transport. Brefeldin A blocked the enhancement of antigen-evoked I(CRAC) without inhibiting ADP ribosylation of Gsalpha, but it did not affect I(CRAC) induced by suboptimal antigen or by thapsigargin. These data provide new evidence that CRAC channels are a major route for Fcin receptor I-triggered Ca(2+) influx, and they suggest that ARF may modulate the induction of I(CRAC) by antigen.

Cross-language positive priming disappears, negative priming does not: evidence for two sources of selective inhibition.

The authors used a unilingual and bilingual primed lexical decision task to investigate priming effects produced by attended and ignored words. In the unilingual experiment, accelerated lexical decisions to probe target words resulted when the word matched the preceding target word, whereas slowed lexical decisions to probe target words resulted when the word matched the preceding ignored nontarget word. In the bilingual (English-Spanish) experiment, between-language, rather than within-language, priming manipulations were used. Although the ignored repetition negative priming effect replicated across languages, cross-language attended repetition positive priming did not. This dissociation of priming effects in the inter- versus intralanguage priming conditions contradicts episodic retrieval accounts of negative priming that deny the existence of selective inhibitory processes. On the other hand, these results support an extension of inhibition-based accounts of negative priming, because they indicate that inhibition can operate at two levels of abstraction--local word and global language--simultaneously.

State and trait depression, physical and social anhedonia, hypnotizability and subjective experiences during hypnosis.

This study (n = 465) examined if (a) hypnotic susceptibility (assessed by the Harvard Group Scale, Form A) was related to state and trait depression, and physical and social anhedonia, and (b) phenomenological experiences (assessed by the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory [PCI]) varied with depression, anhedonia,and hypnotizability during hypnosis, compared with a sitting quietly condition. Only physical anhedonia showed a weak, but significant, negative correlation with hypnotizability. Hypnosis, compared with the sitting quietly condition, facilitated lowering of feelings of sadness especially for the chronically depressed. Other results pertaining to phenomenological experiences suggest that in future studies, instead of only correlating individual difference variables with hypnotizability, it may be more fruitful to explore their relationships with what happens during hypnosis in terms of reported phenomenological experiences.

Chemotaxis of rat mast cells toward adenine nucleotides.

Rat mucosal mast cells express P2 purinoceptors, occupation of which mobilizes cytosolic Ca2+ and activates a potassium conductance. The primary function of this P2 system in mast cell biology remains unknown. Here, we show that extracellular ADP causes morphological changes in rat bone marrow-cultured mast cells (BMMC) typical of those occurring in cells stimulated by chemotaxins, and that the nucleotides ADP, ATP, and UTP are effective chemoattractants for rat BMMC. ADP was also a chemotaxin for murine J774 monocytes. The nucleotide selectivity and pertussis toxin sensitivity of the rat BMMC migratory response suggest the involvement of P2U receptors. Poorly hydrolyzable derivatives of ADP and ATP were effective chemotaxins, obviating a role for adenosine receptors. Buffering of external Ca2+ at 100 nM or reduction of the electrical gradient driving Ca2+ entry (by elevating external K+) blocked ADP-driven chemotaxis, suggesting a role for Ca2+ influx in this process. Anaphylatoxin C5a was a potent chemotaxin (EC50 approximately 0.5 nM) for J774 monocytes, but it was inactive on rat BMMC in the presence or absence of laminin. Ca2+ removal or elevated [K+] had modest effects on C5a-driven chemotaxis of J774 cells, implicating markedly different requirements for Ca2+ signaling in C5a- vs ADP-mediated chemotaxis. This is supported by the observation that depletion of Ca2+ stores with thapsigargin completely blocked migration induced by ADP but not C5a. These findings suggest that adenine nucleotides liberated from parasite-infested tissue could participate in the recruitment of mast cells by intestinal mucosa.

Cardiorespiratory responses to intracerebroventricular injection of neuropeptide Y in anaesthetised dogs.

Cardiovascular and respiratory effects of intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and separate, preferential agonists for NPY Y1 and Y2 receptors were observed in anaesthetised dogs. Central injections of NPY resulted in significant cardiac slowing and decreases in arterial pressure. These cardiovascular effects were blocked by central injection of the NPY Y1- preferring antagonist 1229U91. Central injection of NPY did not have a significant effect on ventilation, but the NPY Y1 antagonist 1229U91 administered alone caused a significant increase in ventilation. The NPY Y1-receptor agonist [Leu31Pro34] NPY significantly decreased ventilation while the NPY Y2 receptor agonist N-acetyl [Leu28Leu31] NPY 24--36 significantly increased it. A similar inverse relationship was seen with respect to blood pressure, with the NPY Y1-receptor agonist [Leu31Pro34] NPY significantly decreasing blood pressure, while the NPY Y2 receptor agonist N-acetyl [Leu28Leu31] NPY 24-36 significantly increased it. These findings suggest a role for NPY Y1 receptors in pathways mediating decreases in ventilation and blood pressure, and for NPY Y2 receptors in those mediating increased ventilation and blood pressure.