Self-partner inclusion predicts performance of romantically involved individuals in a body-scaled action-anticipation task.

Previous research has shown that romantic relationships can lead to the cognitive inclusion of a romantic partner into one's own self-representation, resulting in blurred boundaries between self and intimate other. Recent work suggests that this self-other integration process encompasses the two dimensions of the self-the conceptual and the bodily self. In line with this, it has been proposed that romantic love is associated with cognitive states that blur or reduce the saliency of self-boundaries in the bodily domain. The present study tested this hypothesis by investigating the influence of the self-other integration process in romantic love on passability judgments of door-like apertures, an action-anticipation task that rests on the representation of bodily boundaries. Romantically involved and single participants estimated whether they could pass through apertures of different widths. Moreover, inclusion of romantic partner in the self was assessed using the Inclusion of Other in the Self (IOS) scale. The pattern of correlation and the ratio between participants' shoulder width and aperture judgments did not differ between romantically involved participants and singles. However, our results revealed that in romantically involved participants, the relationship between individuals' shoulder width and aperture judgements was moderated by IOS scores. A greater inclusion of romantic partner in the self was associated with a weaker prediction of aperture judgment by participants' shoulder width. A similar moderating effect of the intensity of romantic feelings (as measured by the passionate love scale) on shoulder width-aperture judgment relationship was found. IOS scores, but not romantic feelings, also moderated aperture judgments made for another individual (third person perspective). Together, these findings are consistent with the view that inclusion of romantic partner in the self triggers cognitive states affecting self-boundaries in the bodily domain.

Embodied self-other overlap in romantic love: a review and integrative perspective.

Romantic love has long intrigued scientists in various disciplines. Social-cognitive research has provided ample evidence for overlapping mental representations of self and romantic partner. This overlap between self and romantic partner would contribute to the experience of love and has been found to be a predictor of relationship quality. Self-partner overlap has been mainly documented at the level of conceptual or narrative self, with studies showing confusion between one's own and partner's identity aspects, perspectives, and outcomes. But the self is not restricted to abstract, conceptual representations but also involves body-related representations, which, research has revealed, are linked to social-cognitive processes. In this article, we review the emerging evidence that romantic love involves not only a blurring of conceptual selves but also a reduction of the distinction between self and romantic partner at a bodily level. We discuss the potential function(s) of self-other overlap in romantic relationship at the level of body-related representations and consider possible mechanisms. We conclude with possible future directions to further investigate how romantic love engages embodied self-other representations involved in social interactions.

The influence of passionate love on self-other discrimination during joint action.

Prior research on romantic relationships suggests that being in love involves a blurring of self-other cognitive boundaries. However, this research has focused so far on conceptual self-representation, related to the individual's traits or interests. The present study tested the hypothesis that passionate love involves a reduced discrimination between the self and the romantic partner at a bodily level, as indexed by an increased Joint Simon effect (JSE), and we further examined whether this self-other discrimination correlated with the passion felt for the partner. As predicted, we found an increased JSE when participants performed the Joint Simon Task with their romantic partner compared with a friend of the opposite sex. Providing support for the self-expansion model of love (Aron and Aron in Pers Relatsh 3(1):45-58, 1996), this result indicates that romantic relationships blur the boundaries between the self and the romantic partner at a bodily level. Furthermore, the strength of romantic feelings was positively correlated with the magnitude of the JSE when sharing the task with the romantic partner.

Getting closer: Synchronous interpersonal multisensory stimulation increases closeness and attraction toward an opposite-sex other in female participants.

Experiencing tactile facial stimulation while seeing synchronous stimulations delivered to another's face induces enfacement, i.e. the subjective experience of ownership over the other's face. The synchronous Interpersonal Multisensory Stimulation (IMS) procedure leading to enfacement induces changes beyond the bodily sense of self, such as increased feeling of closeness between self and other. However, evidence for such an influence of IMS on higher-level self-other representations remains limited. Moreover, research has been restricted to settings involving a same-sex other. The current study tested, in female participants, whether IMS could promote social closeness and attraction toward an opposite-sex other. Across two experiments, enfacement with an opposite-sex face was successfully obtained. Synchronous (vs. asynchronous) IMS yielded greater closeness with the other and induced greater Liking and Attraction scores. These novel findings add further evidence to the existence of a link between body representation and social cognition. Implications for interpersonal attraction are discussed.

Continuous or discontinuous tranexamic acid effectively inhibits fibrinolysis in children undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.

Tranexamic acid is given continuously or discontinuously as an anti-fibrinolytic therapy during cardiac surgery, but the effects on fibrinolysis parameters remain poorly investigated. We sought to assess the effects of continuous and discontinuous tranexamic acid on fibrinolysis parameters in children undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Children requiring cardiac surgery or repeat surgery by sternotomy with CPB for congenital heart disease were randomized to receive either continuous or discontinuous tranexamic acid. Blood tranexamic acid, D-dimers, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), tPA-plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (tPA-PAI1) complexes, fibrinogen and fibrin monomers were measured and compared to values obtained from children who did not receive tranexamic acid. Tranexamic acid inhibited the CPB-induced increase in D-dimers, with a similar potency between continuous and discontinuous regimens. Time courses for tPA, fibrin monomers, and fibrinogen were also similar for both regimen, and there was a significant difference in tPA-PAI1 complex concentrations at the end of surgery, which may be related to a significantly higher tranexamic acid concentration. Continuous and discontinuous regimen are suitable for an effective inhibition of fibrinolysis in children undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB, but the continuous regimen was previously shown to be more effective to maintain stable tranexamic acid concentrations.

Outcomes of patients with antiphospholipid syndrome after pulmonary endarterectomy.

OBJECTIVES: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a risk factor for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, for which the treatment of choice is pulmonary endarterectomy. The increased risk of postoperative thrombotic complications in patients with APS may complicate the perioperative management. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the impact of APS on mortality and morbidity rates after pulmonary endarterectomy. The secondary objective was to describe platelet count changes after pulmonary endarterectomy in patients with APS. METHODS: Data were collected prospectively for consecutive patients with APS who underwent pulmonary endarterectomy over a 5-year period [2007-2011] and for consecutive patients without APS who underwent pulmonary endarterectomy at the same centre during 2008-2011 [controls]. Major complications and daily platelet counts were collected. Haemodynamic parameters obtained by right heart catheterisation were recorded preoperatively and on the day after surgery. RESULTS: We identified 17 patients with APS [3.6% of all pulmonary endarterectomies] and 190 controls. Early haemodynamic results after pulmonary endarterectomy were similar in the two groups, with a greater than 35% decrease in pulmonary vascular resistance. Significantly higher proportions of patients with APS than of controls experienced stroke [11.8 vs 1.0%, P= 0.03] and delirium [47 vs 20%; P = 0.02]. Compared with the controls, the patients with APS had significantly lower platelet counts and had a higher occurrence rate of platelet counts of ≤ 50 g/l (71 vs 4%; P < 0.0001). Intensive care unit (ICU) mortality was not significantly different between the two groups [0/17 vs 7/190 (3.7%), P = 0.49]. CONCLUSIONS: Neurological complications and severe thrombocytopenia were more common after pulmonary endarterectomy in patients with than without APS. Haemodynamic results and ICU mortality rate were similar in the two groups.

Clinical and biologic features of patients suspected or confirmed to have heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in a cardiothoracic surgical ICU.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is problematic in the surgical ICU, as there are multiple potential explanations for thrombocytopenia. We conducted a study to assess the incidence, clinical presentation, and outcome of HIT in a cardiothoracic surgical ICU. METHODS: From January 2005 to December 2010, all patients with suspicion of HIT were prospectively identified, and data were collected retrospectively. Detection of anti-PF4/heparin antibodies and functional assays were systematically performed. RESULTS: During the study period, 5,949 patients were admitted to the ICU (2,751 after cardiac surgery and 3,198 after thoracic surgery), of whom 101 were suspected to have HIT(1.7% [95% CI, 1.4%-2.0%]). Suspicion of HIT occurred at a median of 5 (4-9) days after ICU admission. Diagnosis was confirmed in 28 of 5,949 patients (0.47% [95% CI, 0.33%-0.68%]).Thrombosis was detected in 14 patients with HIT (50%) and in 12 patients without HIT (16%)( P 5 .0006). After receiver operating characteristic analysis (area under curve 5 0.78 0.06),a 4Ts score ≥ 5 had a sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 70%. Course of platelet count was similar between the two groups. Six patients (21%) with HIT and 20 (27%) without died( P 5 .77). CONCLUSIONS: Even with a prospective platelet monitoring protocol, suspicion for HIT arose in <2% of patients in a cardiothoracic ICU. Most were found to have other causes of thrombocytopenia,with HIT confirmed in 28 of 101 suspected cases (0.47% of all patients in the ICU). The 4Ts score may have value by identifying patients who should have laboratory testing performed.The mortality of patients with HIT was not different from other very ill thrombocytopenic patients in the ICU.

Thrombin-activable factor X re-establishes an intrinsic amplification in tenase-deficient plasmas.

Classical hemophilia results from a defect of the intrinsic tenase complex, the main factor X (FX) activator. Binding of factor VIIa to tissue factor triggers coagulation, but little amplification of thrombin production occurs. Handling of hemophilia by injection of the deficient or missing (thus foreign) factor often causes immunological complications. Several strategies have been designed to bypass intrinsic tenase complex, but none induce true auto-amplification of thrombin production. In an attempt to re-establish a cyclic amplification of prothrombin activation in the absence of tenase, we prepared a chimera of FX having fibrinopeptide A for the activation domain (FX(FpA)). We reasoned that cascade initiation would produce traces of thrombin that would activate FX(FpA) (contrary to its normal homologue). Given that the activation domain of FX is released upon activation, thrombin cleavage would produce authentic FXa that would produce more thrombin, which in turn would activate more chimeras. FX(FpA) was indeed activable by thrombin, albeit at a relatively low rate (5 x 10(3) M(-1) s(-1)). Nevertheless, FX(FpA) allowed in vitro amplification of thrombin production, and 100 nM efficiently corrected thrombin generation in tenase-deficient plasmas. A decisive advantage of FX(FpA) could be that the artificial cascade is self-regulating: FX(FpA) had little influence on the clotting time of normal plasma, yet corrected that of tenase deficiency. Another advantage could be the half-life of FX(FpA) in blood; FX has a half-life of about 30 h (less than 3 h for FVIIa). It is also reasonable to expect little or no immunogenicity, because FX and fibrinopeptide A both circulate normally in the blood of hemophiliacs.