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An intense fear of abandonment or rejection is a central feature of social relationships for individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). A total of 20 unmedicated BPD patients and 20 healthy participants (HC, matched for age and education) played a virtual ball-tossing game including the three conditions: exclusion, inclusion and a control condition with predefined game rules, whereas cerebral activity was assessed using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Subjective experiences of exclusion were assessed after each blocked condition. Both groups felt similarly excluded during the exclusion condition; however, BPD subjects felt more excluded than HC during the inclusion and control conditions. In all three conditions, BPD patients showed a stronger engagement of the dorsal anterior cingulate and medial prefrontal cortex. For HC, activation in several cerebral regions such as the insula and the precuneus differed depending on the interaction situation, whereas for BPD subjects activation in these regions was not modulated by experimental conditions. Subjects with BPD differed from HC in both their subjective reactions to and their neural processing of social interaction situations. Our data suggest that individuals with BPD have difficulty in discriminating between social situations, and tend to hypermentalize during social encounters that are not determined by the intentions of others.

A protease called Mauritanicain was isolated from the latex of Euphorbia mauritanica L. (Euphorbiaceae) by combining ion exchange chromatography, ultrafiltration, and gel filtration chromatography. It has a high proteolytic activity against casein. The activity was only inhibited by specific serine protease inhibitors, classifying it to the serine protease family. An optimal degradation of the substrate casein takes place at a temperature of 55-65 degrees C and a pH of 5.5-6.5, and is unstable at pH < 5 and pH > 9. The protease is stable at temperatures from 20-70 degrees C, whereby the activity decreases drastically to less than 20% at 75 degrees C. SDS-PAGE and matrix-assisted laser desorption time-of-flight analysis yielded a molecular weight of 73 kDa; possibly, it is natively present as a non-covalently linked dimer of a higher molecular mass > 132 kDa. Without heat denaturation, a breakdown in fractions of 73 kDa and 52 kDa was observed in SDS-PAGE. Only in some properties it shows a similarity to other characterized proteases in the plant family Euphorbiaceae, such that Mauritanicain can be presented as a new isolated protease.

The Borderline Symptom List (BSL-95) has initially been developed as a self-rating instrument for specific assessment of borderline-typical symptoms. In order to reduce patient burden and assessment time we developed a short-version of the BSL. Twenty-three of the original 95 BSL-items were included into the short-version (BSL-23). The evaluation was based on five different samples with borderline patients (n=694). The internal consistency of the BSL-23 was high: Cronbach's alpha: 0.94-0.97. The remaining results regarding test-retest-reliability, validity, ability to discriminate between patient groups and sensitivity for change according to therapy were very satisfactory throughout. The results indicate that the BSL-23 is an efficient and convenient self-rating instrument that displays very good psychometric properties comparable to those of the full version of the BSL.

Background: The full version of the Borderline Symptom List (BSL; for clarification now labeled BSL-95) is a self-rating instrument for specific assessment of borderline-typical symptomatology. The BSL-95 items are based on criteria of the DSM-IV, the revised version of the Diagnostic Interview for Borderline Personality Disorder, and the opinions of both clinical experts and borderline patients. The BSL-95 includes 95 items. In order to reduce patient burden and assessment time, a short version with 23 items (BSL-23) was developed. Methods: The development of the BSL-23 was based on a sample of 379 borderline patients, considering the items from the BSL-95 that had the highest levels of sensitivity to change and the highest ability to discriminate borderline patients from other patient groups. In a second step, the psychometric properties of the BSL-23 were investigated and compared with the psychometric properties of the BSL-95 in 5 different samples, including a total of 659 borderline patients. Results: In all of the samples, a high correlation of the sum score was found between the BSL-23 and the BSL-95 (range: 0.958–0.963). The internal consistency was high for both versions (BSL-23/Cronbach’s α: 0.935–0.969; BSL-95/Cronbach’s α: 0.977–0.978). Both BSL-23 and BSL-95 clearly discriminated borderline personality disorder patients from patients with an axis I diagnosis (mean effect sizes were 1.13 and 0.96 for the BSL-23 and BSL-95, respectively). In addition, comparisons before and after 3 months of dialectical behavior therapy revealed a numerically larger effect size for the BSL-23 (d = 0.47) compared to the BSL-95 (d = 0.38). Conclusion: The results indicate that the BSL-23 is an efficient and convenient self-rating instrument that displays good psychometric properties comparable to those of the BSL-95. The BSL-23 also demonstrated sensitivity to the effects of therapy.

Proteases appear to play key roles in the regulation of biological processes in plants, such as the recognition of pathogens and pests and the induction of effective defence responses. On the other side these enzymes are able to activate protease-activated receptors (PARs) and in that way to act as agents with pharmacological and toxicological significance. An important source of plant proteases used in traditional medicine and industry is latex. Over 110 latices of different plant families are known to contain at least one proteolytic enzyme. Most of them belong to the cysteine or serine endopeptidases family and only one to the aspartatic endopeptidases family. This review focuses on the characterization of proteases found in latices of several plant families (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Asteraceae, Caricaceae, Convolvulaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Moraceae), and summarizes the known chemical and biological properties of the isolated proteases as well as their importance in pharmacology and toxicology.

Maximizing Skills Acquisition in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy with a CD-ROM-Based Self-Help Program : Results from a Pilot Study

Serine proteases and phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) are able to induce the release of pro-inflammatory interleukin-6 (IL-6) in monocytic cells. The present study was performed to investigate whether there is any interaction between proteases and phorbol ester in IL-6 release.U-937 cells differentiated with interferon-γ were treated with or without thrombin, trypsin, papain (each 1-10 μg/ml) and PMA (0.1-10 ng/ml) or the combination of both enzyme and PMA for up to 72 h and the release of IL-6 was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Thrombin and PMA caused a time- and dose-dependent increase in IL-6. The combination of the two resulted in an increase up to fivefold higher than each agent alone. Even the combination of the cysteine protease papain and PMA showed a strong effect on IL-6 release compared to the individual tests.These findings suggest a synergistic activity between phorbol ester and proteases to promote inflammation.

Proteasen spielen sowohl in physiologischen, pathophysiologischen aber auch in industriellen Prozessen eine entscheidende Rolle, so dass die Suche nach neuen Proteasen mit unterschiedlichen Spezifitäten von Bedeutung ist. 311 Pflanzen aus 91 Gattungen aus 11 verschiedenen Familien wurden auf das Vorhandensein proteolytischer Aktivität im Latex untersucht. 75% der untersuchten Pflanzen wurden positiv getestet. Hinsichtlich der Stärke der Aktivität zeichneten sich vor allem die Familien der Euphorbiaceae, Caricaceae und Moraceae durch aus. Die Familie der Asteraceae hingegen fiel durch relativ geringe proteolytische Stärke auf. Weiterhin konnte festgestellt werden, dass in der Gattung Euphorbia die proteolytische Aktivität konstitutiv ist und über das gesamte Jahr nachzuweisen war. Im Gegensatz dazu zeigten einige Asteraceae und Campanulaceae, dass die gemessene Aktivität vom Entwicklungszustand der Pflanze abhängig ist. Die Untersuchungen deuten auf unterschiedliche Funktionen der Latexproteasen hin. In Euphorbien stellen sie Abwehr-proteine dar und sind in Verbindung mit Diterpenderivaten am „Defence-System“ der Pflanze beteiligt. In den beschriebenen Asteraceae und Campanulaceae spielen sie anscheinend in Entwicklungsprozessen eine Rolle. Das anschließende Screening der Gattung Euphorbia zur Ermittlung des Proteasetyps zeigte, dass Serinproteaseaktivität in allen getesteten Arten feststellbar ist. Dabei reichte die Restaktivität nach Behandlung mit AEBSF von 1-80%. Auch andere Inhibitoren hatten einen Einfluss auch die proteolytische Aktivität. Die Annahme, dass die proteolytische Aktivität in der Gattung Euphorbia ausschließlich auf Serinproteasen beruht, bestätigte sich nicht. Vielmehr hatten in einigen Arten alle getesteten Inhibitoren einen Einfluss auf die Aktivität. Auch Latices, aus denen bisher Serinproteasen isoliert wurden, scheinen Proteasen anderer Typen zu enthalten. Aus dem Latex von Euphorbia mauritanica L. konnte nach Kautschukabtrennung und anschließender DEAE- Ionenaustauschchromatographie und Größenausschlusschromato-graphie eine Proteasefraktion isoliert werden. Die bisher unbekannte Protease Mauritanicain hat eine molekulare Masse von ca. 95 kDa, ein Temperaturoptimum von 55-65°C und ein pH-Optimum von pH 6,5-7,5. Sie zeigt Aktivität über einen pH-Bereich von pH 4,5-12 und ist bis 80°C stabil. Die Protease hat eine gewisse Präferenz, hinter den Aminosäuren Leucin, Lysin und Alanin zu schneiden, aber auch hinter unpolaren Aminosäuren wie Methionin, Valin, Phenylalanin, Isoleucin, Prolin und Glycin. Die Testung mit spezifischen Inhibitoren zeigte, dass es sich um Serinproteaseaktivität handelt. Der Kontakt mit Euphorbienlatices führt zum Teil zu starken Entzündungsreaktionen. Für diese Reaktion werden vor allem Diterpenester verantwortlich gemacht. Es konnte aber auch gezeigt werden, dass Proteasen zu einer vermehrten Sekretion von Il-6 führen. So konnten die Serinprotease Thrombin, die Cysteinprotease Papain und der Diterpenester PMA die Sekretion von Il-6 konzentrationsabhängig und zeitabhängig beeinflussen. Bei der Kombination von PMA mit der jeweiligen Protease konnte eine starke Erhöhung der Il-6 Konzentrationen beobachtetet werden. Ein natürliches Vorkommen von Proteasen und Diterpenestern bieten die Milchsäfte der Gattung Euphorbia. Die Testung von Pflanzenlatices im Zellsystem führte zur Il-6 Sekretion, die von Pflanze zu Pflanze unterschiedlich stimuliert wurde. Eine synergistische Sekretion durch Diterpenester und Proteasen scheint durch den Latex einiger Arten ausgelöst zu werden., Proteolytic enzymes have important functions in physiological and pathophysiological processes, and are frequently used in industrial processes. The search for new proteases with different specificities is always on. In the present work 311 plants from 91 genera from 11 plant families were examined for the presence of proteolytic activity in the latex. 75% of the studied plants were tested positive for the presence of proteolytic activity. Regarding the strength of the activity the families of Euphorbiaceae, Moraceae, and Caricaceae showed the highest fluorescence values. The families of Asteraceae in contrast, had relatively low proteolytic activity. Furthermore, it was found that in the genus Euphorbia, the proteolytic activity is constitutive, and could be found throughout the year. In contrast, some Asteraceae and Campanulaceae showed that the observed activity is dependent on the developmental state of the plant. The investigations showed the different functions of latex proteases. In Euphorbia, they represent defence proteins and are associated with Diterpene derivatives in the defence system of the plant. In Asteraceae and Campanulaceae they appear to play a role in development processes. The subsequent screening of the genus Euphorbia for determining the type of protease showed that serine protease activity was detected in all tested species. The residual activity after treatment with AEBSF ranged from 1-80%. Other inhibitors had also an influence on the proteolytic activity. The assumption that the proteolytic activity in the genus Euphorbia is based exclusively on serine proteases was not confirmed. In some species all tested inhibitors had an effect on the activity. Latices serine proteases have been isolated from also indicate the presence of other protease types. From the latex of Euphorbia mauritanica L. a protease fraction was isolated after the removal of gum and subsequent DEAE- ion exchange and size exclusion chromatography. The unknown protease Mauritanicain has a molecular mass of approximately 95 kDa, an optimum temperature of 55-65°C and a pH optimum of pH 6.5-7.5. It shows activity over a pH range from pH 4.5 to 12 and is stable up to 80°C. The protease has a preference to cut behind the amino acids leucine, lysine and alanine, but also behind non polar amino acids like methionine, valine, phenylalanine, isoleucine, proline and glycine. The testing with specific inhibitors showed serine protease activity. The contact with latices of genus Euphorbia sometimes leads to severe inflammatory reactions. For this reaction primarily diterpene esters are responsible. It could also be shown that proteases lead to an increased secretion of the proinflammatory cytokine Il-6 in acute inflammation in differentiated U-937 cells. The serine protease thrombin, the cysteine protease papain and the diterpene ester PMA affect the secretion of Il-6 in a concentration and time dependent manner. With the combination of PMA with the respective protease a strong increase in Il-6 concentrations was observed. Proteases and diterpene esters naturally occure in the latices of the genus Euphorbia. The testing of Euphorbia-latices resulted in individual levels of Il-6 secretion in the cell system. A synergistic secretion by diterpene esters and proteases is propable to be induced by the latex of some species.

Technological progress and tourism have been gone hand in hand for years. The use of mobiledevices has increased at a phenomenal rate in recent years. An increasing number of devices issupporting Near-Field Communication (NFC), which is a short range and wireless technology fordata transfer without physical touch. NFC technology will open up new opportunities for variousstakeholders in destination management. In this article research on NFC technology is reviewed.In addition current and potential applications in tourism are described using existing case studies.Keywords: NFC, near-field communication, tourism, technology, e-tourism

Eighteen species of the genus Euphorbia are known to have proteolytic enzymes in their latices, 9 of them are characterized by the type of endopeptidases (Cysteine-, Serine-, Metallo- or Aspartatic-endopeptidase) which are responsible for the activity, and all nine are serine endopeptidases. In our study we examined the latices of 64 different species of the genus Euphorbia concerning proteolytic activity and serine protease activity, five of them are mentioned in the literature to be proteolytic active and four are known to contain at least one serine endopeptidase. All tested samples were able to degrade labelled casein, the activity of six latices were completely inhibited by specific serine protease inhibitors, 15 samples were not influenced, and in 43 latices a remaining activity was measured, indicating that other types of endopeptidases seem to be involved.

The Borderline Symptom List (BSL-95) has initially been developed as a self-rating instrument for specific assessment of borderline-typical symptoms. In order to reduce patient burden and assessment time we developed a short-version of the BSL. Twenty-three of the original 95 BSL-items were included into the short-version (BSL-23). The evaluation was based on five different samples with borderline patients (n=694). The internal consistency of the BSL-23 was high: Cronbach's alpha: 0.94-0.97. The remaining results regarding test-retest-reliability, validity, ability to discriminate between patient groups and sensitivity for change according to therapy were very satisfactory throughout. The results indicate that the BSL-23 is an efficient and convenient self-rating instrument that displays very good psychometric properties comparable to those of the full version of the BSL.

A new protease called Mauritanicain was isolated from the latex of Euphorbia mauritanica L. (Euphorbiaceae), with a high proteolytic activity against casein. The activity was only inhibited by specific serine protease inhibitors, classifying it to the serine protease family. It is stable at temperatures from 20–90°C with an optimum in activity at 55–60°C and pH 6.5–7.5. The protease with a molecular weight of about 95 kDa shows a preference to cleave its substrates (exemplarily shown for β-lactoglobulin) behind the amino acids lysine (K), leucine (L) and alanine (A).