Associations between therapists' verbal techniques and patient-rated therapeutic alliance, insight, and problem solving.

Objective: To investigate associations between common factors (alliance, insight, problem solving) and therapists' techniques. We expected a positive association between (1) supportive techniques and the alliance, (2) interpretative techniques and insight, and (3) a stronger association between interpretative techniques and insight for patients with more severe baseline symptoms. Other associations were analyzed in an exploratory way.

Mobile Ion-Driven Modulation of Electronic Conductivity Explains Long-Timescale Electrical Response in Lead Iodide Perovskite Thick Pellets.

The favorable optoelectronic properties of metal halide perovskites have been used for X- and γ-ray detection, solar energy, and optoelectronics. Large electronic mobility, reduced recombination losses of the electron-hole pairs, and high sensitivity upon ionizing irradiation have fostered great attention on technological realizations. Nevertheless, the recognized mixed ionic-electronic transport properties of hybrid perovskites possess severe limitations as far as long-timescale instabilities and degradation issues are faced.

Challenging a Preconception: Optoacoustic Spectrum Differs from the Optical Absorption Spectrum of Proteins and Dyes for Molecular Imaging.

Optoacoustic (photoacoustic) imaging has seen marked advances in detection and data analysis, but there is less progress in understanding the photophysics of common optoacoustic contrast agents. This gap blocks the development of novel agents and the accurate analysis and interpretation of multispectral optoacoustic images. To close it, we developed a multimodal laser spectrometer (MLS) to enable the simultaneous measurement of optoacoustic, absorbance, and fluorescence spectra.

Reactivity of Metakaolin in Alkaline Environment: Correlation of Results from Dissolution Experiments with XRD Quantifications.

Systematic investigation of filtrates and filter residues resulting from a 24 h treatment of metakaolin in different alkaline solutions were performed. On filtered metakaolin particles, inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) measurements reveal an enrichment of iron and titanium, which suggests an inhomogeneous distribution of these cations. Since the SiO/AlO ratio remains constant in all filter residues examined, the dissolution of the Si and Al monomers is congruent.

Incisional hernia repair in a high-fidelity silicone model for open retro-muscular mesh implantation with preparation of the fatty triangle: validation and educational impact study.

Background: Incisional hernia repair requires detailed anatomic knowledge. Regarding median subxiphoidal hernias, the proper preparation of the fatty triangle is challenging. To foster proficiency-based training, a cost-efficient model for open median retromuscular mesh repair resembling the human body was developed, including the main anatomical structures related to the procedure.

Microbial patterns in patients with histamine intolerance.

Histamine intolerance represents a controversially discussed disorder. Besides an impaired degradation of orally supplied histamine due to diamine oxidase (DAO) deficiency, a deranged gut flora may also contribute to elevated histamine levels. Our aim was to determine the intestinal bacterial composition in patients with proven histamine intolerance in comparison to other food intolerances and healthy controls.

Questioning Seasonality of Neuronal Plasticity in the Adult Avian Brain.

To date, studies that reported seasonal patterns of adult neurogenesis and neuronal recruitment have correlated them to seasonal behaviors as the cause or as a consequence of neuronal changes. The aim of our study was to test this correlation, and to investigate whether there is a seasonal pattern of new neuronal recruitment that is not correlated to behavior. To do this, we used adult female zebra finches (songbirds that are not seasonal breeders), kept them under constant social, behavioral, and spatial environments, and compared neuronal recruitment in their brains during two seasons, under natural and laboratory conditions.

Conditional ablation and conditional rescue models for Casq2 elucidate the role of development and of cell-type specific expression of Casq2 in the CPVT2 phenotype.

Cardiac calsequestrin (Casq2) associates with the ryanodine receptor 2 channel in the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum to regulate Ca2+ release into the cytoplasm. Patients carrying mutations in CASQ2 display low resting heart rates under basal conditions and stress-induced polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT). In this study, we generate and characterize novel conditional deletion and conditional rescue mouse models to test the influence of developmental programs on the heart rate and CPVT phenotypes.

GNA13 expression promotes drug resistance and tumor-initiating phenotypes in squamous cell cancers.

Treatment failure in solid tumors occurs due to the survival of specific subpopulations of cells that possess tumor-initiating (TIC) phenotypes. Studies have implicated G protein-coupled-receptors (GPCRs) in cancer progression and the acquisition of TIC phenotypes. Many of the implicated GPCRs signal through the G protein GNA13.

Non-immunogenic dextran-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles: a biocompatible, size-tunable contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging.

Iron oxide-based contrast agents have been in clinical use for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of lymph nodes, liver, intestines, and the cardiovascular system. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have high potential as a contrast agent for MRI, but no intravenous iron oxide-containing agents are currently approved for clinical imaging. The aim of our work was to analyze the hemocompatibility and immuno-safety of a new type of dextran-coated SPIONs (SPIONdex) and to characterize these nanoparticles with ultra-high-field MRI.

Sheet-Like Remodeling of the Transverse Tubular System in Human Heart Failure Impairs Excitation-Contraction Coupling and Functional Recovery by Mechanical Unloading.

Background: Cardiac recovery in response to mechanical unloading by left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) has been demonstrated in subgroups of patients with chronic heart failure (HF). Hallmarks of HF are depletion and disorganization of the transverse tubular system (t-system) in cardiomyocytes. Here, we investigated remodeling of the t-system in human end-stage HF and its role in cardiac recovery.

Epistatic and Independent Effects on Schizophrenia-Related Phenotypes Following Co-disruption of the Risk Factors Neuregulin-1 × DISC1.

Few studies have addressed likely gene × gene (ie, epistatic) interactions in mediating risk for schizophrenia. Using a preclinical genetic approach, we investigated whether simultaneous disruption of the risk factors Neuregulin-1 (NRG1) and Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) would produce a disease-relevant phenotypic profile different from that observed following disruption to either gene alone. NRG1 heterozygotes exhibited hyperactivity and disruption to prepulse inhibition, both reversed by antipsychotic treatment, and accompanied by reduced striatal dopamine D2 receptor protein expression, impaired social cognition, and altered glutamatergic synaptic protein expression in selected brain areas.

A contextual perspective on talented female participants and their development in extracurricular STEM programs.

We advocate a more contextual perspective in giftedness research. In our view, doing so opens up three particularly interesting research areas, which we refer to as the participation issue, the effectiveness issue, and the interaction issue. To illustrate their utility, we examined characteristics of females participating in German high achiever-track secondary education who had applied for participation in a 1-year extracurricular e-mentoring program in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) (n = 1237).

Comparison of Immature Platelet Count to Established Predictors of Platelet Reactivity During Thienopyridine Therapy.

Background: Previous data suggest that reticulated platelets significantly affect antiplatelet response to thienopyridines. It is unknown whether parameters describing reticulated platelets can predict antiplatelet response to thienopyridines.

Objectives: The authors sought to determine the extent to which parameters describing reticulated platelets can predict antiplatelet response to thienopyridine loading compared with established predictors.

GSK3ß-dependent dysregulation of neurodevelopment in SPG11-patient induced pluripotent stem cell model.

Objective: Mutations in the spastic paraplegia gene 11 (SPG11), encoding spatacsin, cause the most frequent form of autosomal-recessive complex hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) and juvenile-onset amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS5). When SPG11 is mutated, patients frequently present with spastic paraparesis, a thin corpus callosum, and cognitive impairment. We previously delineated a neurodegenerative phenotype in neurons of these patients.

A push-pull unsymmetrical subphthalocyanine dimer.

Unsymmetrical subphthalocyanine fused dimers have been prepared from appropriate -dinitrile SubPc precursors. In particular, either electron-donating or electron-accepting substituents have been introduced on each SubPc constituent unit, resulting in unprecedented push-pull π-extended curved aromatic macrocycles. From fluorescence experiments in solvents of different polarity we conclude a dual fluorescence, namely a delocalized singlet excited state (1.

Professional Care Team Burden (PCTB) scale - reliability, validity and factor analysis.

Background: There is growing concern about how to provide care for persons with dementia in institutions such as nursing homes, day care centers, mobile services and hospitals. Care teams (formal caregivers) have to meet specific expectations from different sides: the Person with Dementia herself, the institution, and from different family members. Out of this situation, considerable burden can emerge hindering the professional development of care team members and counteracting quality of care of care recipients.

Creating and testing carbon interfaces - integrating oligomeric phthalocyanines onto single walled carbon nanotubes.

Two oligomers, that is, para-phenylenevinylene with either pendant Pd(ii)Pc or Zn(ii)Pc units, have been synthesized and their interactions with SWCNTs and peapods - C60@SWCNT - have been probed by complementary spectroscopy and microscopy. Spectroscopy assisted mainly in shedding light onto electronic interactions in the ground and excited state, while microscopy enabled insights into the degree of individualizing SWCNTs/C60@SWCNTs and their stabilization.