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In 1921, Richard Bruynoghe and his student Joséph Maisin published on the first use of bacteriophages in a phage therapy context. At that time, Bruynoghe (a medical doctor) was affiliated as a professor at the KU Leuven (Belgium) for just over a decade, within the Bacteriological Institute which he founded and led. After a distinguished career (he was acting mayor of the city of Leuven-Belgium during the second World War), he received a special medical award in 1951 just before his retirement in 1952. In this perspective, he was asked to provide an overview of his research for a lay-audience within the local University magazine: Onze Alma Mater (Our alma mater). We, as current affiliates of the KU Leuven are honored to present some of his legacy, which to date has been largely overlooked in historical accounts.

If philosophical moral reflection improves moral behavior, one might expect ethics professors to behave morally better than socially similar non-ethicists. Under the assumption that forms of political engagement such as voting have moral worth, we looked at the rate at which a sample of professional ethicists—and political philosophers as a subgroup of ethicists—voted in eight years’ worth of elections. We compared ethicists’ and political philosophers’ voting rates with the voting rates of three other groups: philosophers not specializing in ethics, political scientists, and a comparison group of professors specializing in neither philosophy nor political science. All groups voted at about the same rate, except for the political scientists, who voted about 10–15% more often. On the face of it, this finding conflicts with the expectation that ethicists will behave more responsibly than non-ethicists.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13164-009-0011-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

In their reply to my recent paper on Munchausen's syndrome by proxy, Professor Southall and Dr. Samuels concede that some things may be learned from my observations. They do not attend to the main argument of the paper, however, that the proportion of research interest in their use of covert video surveillance merits consideration of the research protocol by an independent research ethics committee. It will not do simply to assert that the use of this technology for the purposes outlined in their accounts is not research. I formulated arguments based on facts divulged in those published accounts for regarding their work as containing a considerable proportion of research activity. Unfortunately their reply did not address these arguments. Until such points are adequately answered the protection of patients calls for satisfactory judgments to be made on certain important issues which any research ethics committee would be obliged to consider in an evaluation of their activities. I suggest that some of these features will create more difficulties for approval of such a protocol than others.

The Symposium for Young Neuroscientists and Professors of the Southeast (SYNAPSE; synapse.cofc.edu) was designed to encourage contacts among faculty and students interested in neuroscience. Since its inception in 2003, the SYNAPSE conference has consistently drawn faculty and undergraduate interest from the region. This unique meeting provides undergraduates with a valuable opportunity for neuroscience education; students interact with noted neuroscience faculty, present research results, obtain feedback from neuroscientists at other institutions, and form connections with other neuroscientists in the region. Additionally, SYNAPSE allows undergraduate students and faculty to attend workshops and panel discussions about issues related to professional skills and career options. The SYNAPSE conference currently travels among host institutions in the southeastern United States in two-year cycles. This article briefly describes the genesis of SYNAPSE and reviews SYNAPSE conferences from 2006 through 2010. The goal of this paper is to highlight key issues organizers have experienced launching, sustaining, and hosting this regional undergraduate neuroscience conference as well as assist faculty to develop similar conferences.

We are honored to introduce the special series highlighting behavioral research on the severe and persistent mental illnesses (SPMIs) that appears in this issue of Behavior Therapy. We begin this series by providing a succinct overview of this category of disorders, noting briefly their impact, cost, etiology, and management. We then identify four recent advances in the care of persons living with a SPMI, and provide an overview of the six articles that appear in this series. The series recognizes and showcases outstanding behavioral research, and seeks to encourage new and continuing participation by behavior therapists in the care of persons living with a SPMI.

This special issue of the Journal of Radiology Case Reports honors the reviewers who donated their time and expertise to the high quality and success of this journal.

This special issue of the Journal of Radiology Case Reports honors the reviewers who donated their time and expertise throughout the year 2009 to the high quality and success of this journal.

This special issue of the Journal of Radiology Case Reports honors the reviewers who donated their time and expertise throughout the year 2010 to the high quality and success of this journal.

This special issue of the Journal of Radiology Case Reports honors the reviewers who donated their time and expertise throughout the year 2011 to the high quality and success of this journal.

This special issue of the Journal of Radiology Case Reports honors the reviewers who donated their time and expertise throughout the year 2012 to the high quality and success of this journal.

Background

Recent studies based on self-reported data suggest that retirement may have beneficial effects on mental health, but studies using objective endpoints remain scarce. This study examines longitudinally the changes in antidepressant medication use across the 9 years spanning the transition to retirement.

Methods

Participants were Finnish public-sector employees: 7138 retired at statutory retirement age (76% women, mean age 61.2 years), 1238 retired early due to mental health issues (78% women, mean age 52.0 years), and 2643 retired due to physical health issues(72% women, mean age 55.4 years). Purchase of antidepressant medication four years prior to and four years after retirement year were based on comprehensive national pharmacy records in 1994-2005.

Results

One year before retirement, the use of antidepressants was 4% among those who would retire at statutory age, 61% among those who would retire due to mental health issues, and 14% among those who would retire due to physical health issues. Retirement-related changes in antidepressant use depended on the reason for retirement. Among old-age retirees, antidepressant medication use decreased during the transition period (age- and calendar-year-adjusted prevalence ratio for antidepressant use 1 year after vs. 1 year before retirement = 0.77 [95% confidence interval = 0.68 – 0.88]). Among those whose main reason for disability pension was mental health issues or physical health issues, there was an increasing trend in antidepressant use prior to retirement and, for mental health retirements, a decrease after retirement.

Conclusions

Trajectories of recorded purchases of antidepressant medication are consistent with the hypothesis that retirement is beneficial for mental health.

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On behalf of American Aging Association and his many biogerontological colleagues, the author thanks Huber R. Warner for his 21 years of exemplary service at the National Institute on Aging (NIA). In so honoring Dr. Warner, we also honor his many associates at that “user friendly” branch of the National Institutes of Health. Some highlights of Dr. Warner's scientific training, academic career and special contributions while serving in a leadership position at the NIA are reviewed. We wish him well as he returns to the University of Minnesota, this time as Associate Dean of Research in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Objectives. To examine the work-related activities of full-time faculty members 55 years of age and older; to describe the retirement plans and perceptions of these faculty members; and to examine the factors, perceptions, or conditions that might influence the retirement decision.

Methods. Pharmacy faculty members aged 55 years and older in the United States and Canada were invited to participate in an online survey regarding their perceptions on issues related to their retirement planning behavior.

Results. Four hundred eighty-eight faculty members completed the survey instrument. The typical respondent worked 50 hours per week on work-related activities, was active in teaching and service, and had published an average of 5 refereed papers during the previous 36 months. The number of articles published was positively related to the respondent's target retirement age. The average anticipated retirement age was 66.6 years, and most respondents participated in a defined benefit plan. The majority would revise their target retirement age downwards if conditions were favorable.

Conclusion. The primary factors that influence the pharmacy faculty retirement decision include financial status, academic productivity, and higher order needs such as the opportunity to participate in meaningful activities. These findings can be used by administrators in strategic planning related to attracting and retaining quality faculty members.

In all of the transposition reactions that have been characterized thus far, synapsis of two transposon ends is required before any catalytic steps (strand nicking or strand transfer) occur. In V(D)J recombination, there have been inconclusive data concerning the role of synapsis in nicking. Synapsis between two 12-substrates or between two 23-substrates has not been ruled out in any studies thus far. Here we provide the first direct tests of this issue. We find that immobilization of signals does not affect their nicking, even though hairpinning is affected in a manner reflecting its known synaptic requirement. We also find that nicking is kinetically a unireactant enzyme-catalyzed reaction. Time courses are no different between nicking seen for a 12-substrate alone and a reaction involving both a 12- and a 23-substrate. Hence, synapsis is neither a requirement nor an effector of the rate of nicking. These results establish V(D)J recombination as the first example of a DNA transposition-type reaction in which catalytic steps begin prior to synapsis, and the results have direct implications for the order of the steps in V(D)J recombination, for the contribution of V(D)J recombination nicks to genomic instability, and for the diversification of the immune repertoire.

The de-Sitter metric is a special form of the non-static Friedmann metric, and appears to be genuinely non-static since it describes the initial exponential expansion of the Big Bang universe. However, the de Sitter metric appears to be perfectly static in the Schwarzschild frame where the vacuum fluid is supposed to be in motion. Here we highlight the conflicts between the static and non-static versions of the de-Sitter metric from a physical perspective. In particular, while the “Principle of Energy Conservation” is honored in one case, the same is badly violated for the other. However, we offer a partial resolution of such conflicts by deriving the static de Sitter metric by solving the relevant field equations. It is seen that, it is the very special vacuum equation of state pressure = –density which results in the static form even when the vacuum fluid is supposed to be in motion.

This issue of the Journal of Experimental Medicine celebrates and honors the life of Ralph Steinman (1943–2011), winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Ralph’s science was rooted in fundamental discovery with the goal of translating these findings into clinical medicine. He recognized the power of immunology in treating human disease and passionately championed studies on vaccine design, immune therapy, and human immunology. One particular collaborative effort between the Steinman and Sekaly laboratories resulted in a paper published in this issue of the journal.

Clinicians face formidable challenges in working with male perpetrators of domestic violence. Many treatment programs use a confrontational approach that emphasizes male entitlement and patriarchal societal attitudes, without honoring the genuine psychological pain of the abusive male. Although some men with strong psychopathic tendencies are almost impossible to treat, the majority of spouse-abusing males respond best to an empathic, client-centered, self psychological approach that also includes education about sociocultural issues and specific skill building. Understanding the deprivations in mirroring selfobject functions from which these men typically suffer facilitates clinical treatment response. While insisting that men take full responsibility for their abusive behavior, treatment approaches can still be most effective by addressing inherent psychological issues. Group leaders who can offer respect for perpetrators' history, their experience of powerlessness, and their emotional injuries in primary relationships are more likely to make an impact.(The Journal of Psychotherapy Practice and Research 1999; 8:129–141)

Sir William Osler was an outstanding figure in American and British Medicine during the early years of this century. Over fifty years after his death, his name is still remembered and honored, whereas other leaders who were equally important in the eyes of their contemporaries have been relegated to the realm of history. This brief review attempts to discover what special qualities have kept Osler's memory vivid. No single characteristic of his skill, science, or personality seems in itself to explain his continuing reputation. Rather, a combination of his eminence in several different medical schools, his presence at a time of revolution in medical teaching and thought, his authorship of one of the most successful medical textbooks, and an enthusiastic claque of ex-students and colleagues seem to have combined to maintain his memory as a leader of medicine.

Preface

I was honored to deliver the 2nd Stanley Korsmeyer memorial Lecture on May 9th, 2007 in Padova, Italy. Stan will always occupy a very special place in my heart: I admired him greatly not only for his magnificent and original science but also for his integrity and his grace. This review, which summarizes my laboratory's contribution to cell and cancer biology in the last 30 years, is dedicated to Stan's memory, and to Elaine Fuchs, one of my most cherished friends without whose support this work would not have gained the degree of recognition it enjoys today. My thanks also to the Pezcoller Foundation for making that week in May, 2007 one of the most memorable in my scientific life.